Reuters: Israel announces the killing of Hezbollah leader Qassim, but confirms it was his nephew and secretary

The Israeli military’s announcement that it had killed Hezbollah’s secretary-general Naim Qassem (Naim Qassem) is a rumor. As of the time of publication, Hezbollah has not yet confirmed or denied it. Reuters confirms that during the airstrike on Beirut carried out by the Israeli military on the same day, they killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, Qassem’s secretary and nephew, not Qassem himself.
(Background: The U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks may be torn apart! Iran warns Israel: if it continues pounding Lebanon, it will “fully withdraw from the ceasefire agreement.”)
(Additional context: The U.S.-Iran ceasefire is on the verge of collapse! Trump says “the ceasefire does not include Lebanon,” and Iran hits back hard: strike again and it will blockade the Strait of Hormuz.)

It is reported that the Israeli military announced it had killed Hezbollah’s secretary-general in Lebanon, Naim Qassem (Naim Qassem). But Reuters has sent a message confirming that during the Israeli airstrike on Beirut on the same day, they killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, Qassem’s secretary and nephew, not Qassem himself.

On the same day, Israeli airstrikes on Beirut killed multiple officials at the top

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a large-scale coordinated airstrike on Beirut on April 8 to 9. Multiple Western media outlets have independently confirmed that the Israeli military killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, Qassem’s secretary and nephew; the media described him as “Qassem’s close adviser and personal aide.”

At the same time, the Israeli military also separately confirmed the killing of Hezbollah’s intelligence chief Hussain Makled.

Qassem has not been a target for assassination for the first time. Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz previously publicly named Qassem, claiming, “Qassem failed to understand what Hassan Nasrallah (Hassan Nasrallah) understood only in the final moments of his life.”

Qassem profile

After Hassan Nasrallah, who had served as secretary-general until before September 2025, was killed by the Israeli military, Naim Qassem took over the top leadership position in Hezbollah.

On March 2, 2026, Hezbollah, in retaliation for an attack on Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei, launched rockets at Israel, and the Lebanon war immediately broke out in full.

If Israel’s claims are true, this operation would mean that Hezbollah lost two consecutive top leaders within just a few months, dealing a severe blow to the organization’s leadership structure.

The situation is still developing rapidly. The Trump administration has clearly stated that the “ceasefire agreement with Iran does not include Lebanon,” and the Israeli military continues to strike Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon. Iran’s parliament speaker previously accused the U.S. and Israel of violating three provisions of the 10-point ceasefire plan, and Iran’s military also claimed it has suspended restoring Hormuz shipping due to Israel’s continued airstrikes on Lebanon.