Hezbollah Chief’s Secretary Killed In Beirut Strikes

The Israeli military stated on Thursday that it had killed a close advisor to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem in Beirut the day before Israeli missiles pounded Lebanon. "Yesterday, the IDF struck in the Beirut area and eliminated Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem," a military statement stated. Harshi had been "a close associate and personal adviser to... Qassem and played a central role in managing and securing his office" , it said.

Hezbollah, a militant organization supported by Iran, has already claimed to have fired rockets toward Israel in retaliation for its "violation" of the US-Iran truce. According to Hezbollah, it has the "right" to react to Israeli attacks throughout Lebanon. "In response to the enemy's violation of the ceasefire agreement," Hezbollah targeted the Israeli kibbutz of Manara near the border with Lebanon "with a rocket barrage" early Thursday, Hezbollah said in a statement.

Following assaults that left over 254 people dead and over 1,165 injured in a single day, Lebanon has declared a day of mourning. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US-Iran ceasefire does not include Lebanon. US Vice President JD Vance has reiterated this stance, saying, "We never made that promise."

Different is Pakistan, which mediated the ceasefire. According to its prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, the truce called for a halt to hostilities in Lebanon. The "terms are clear and warned that Washington must choose between a truce or "continued war via Israel," according to Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.