Israel kills Hezbollah chief's nephew and personal advisor Ali Yusuf Harshi in overnight strikes in Lebanon

IDF said that Ali Yusuf Harshi was a close associate and personal advisor to Qassem, and that he played a central role in managing the Hezbollah chief's office.

Updated on: Apr 9, 2026, 13:53:40 IST

By HT News Desk

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Israel on Thursday said it had killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, the nephew and personal advisor of Iran-backed Hezbollah's chief, Naim Qassem, in an overnight strike on Lebanon's Beirut.

A handout picture released by the Iranian presidency shows the deputy chief of Lebanon's Hezbollah group, Naim Qassem. (AFP/File Photo)

In a statement on Telegram, the Israeli defence forces said, "The IDF eliminated the secretary to Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem in Beirut: Overnight, a series of Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites struck." Follow US-Iran war live updates

"Yesterday (Wednesday), the IDF struck in the Beirut area and eliminated Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem," it added.

ALSO READ | Largest attacks in over 40 years, 1,500 killed: Why Israel continues to pound Lebanon despite US-Iran truce

The Israeli military further said that Harshi was a close associate and personal advisor to Qassem, adding that he played a central role in managing the Hezbollah chief's office.

The IDF said that it also struck two key crossings used by the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group for movement from north to south of the Litani River in Lebanon, to transfer thousands of weapons, rockets, and launchers.

Additionally, the Israeli military said that it also struck about 10 weapons storage facilities, launchers, and command centres used by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation in southern Lebanon.

Israel pounds Lebanon

Israel, despite the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US, pounded Lebanon with a record number of strikes, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that the strike did not apply to Beirut.

"The battle in Lebanon continues, and the ceasefire does not include Lebanon," Israel's military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a statement.

Israel on Wednesday carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the start of the conflict with Iran on February 28, targeting over 100 Hezbollah command centres and military sites in Beirut.

ALSO READ | Lebanon clouds Iran-US ceasefire ahead of talks: Is it included or not? Explained

Over 1,500 people, including 130 children and more than 100 women, have been killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon since March 2 when Hezbollah started firing rockets at Israel in solidarity with Iran.

By late March, over 400 Hezbollah fighters were killed, reported Reuters, citing sources.

Israeli strikes that hit Lebanon on Wednesday alone killed at least 254 people, leaving nearly 900 injured. Lebanon declared a national day of mourning in the wake of the recent deaths.

Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance said that Israel has proposed to restraint itself as long the US-Iran talks are taking place, Axios reported.

Vance reportedly said that there was a "legitimate misunderstanding" between the US and Iran over the ceasefire in Lebanon.

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HT News Desk
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