IDF says it killed secretary of Hezbollah leader in Beirut airstrike yesterday

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Rescuers search for victims in a destroyed building that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Rescuers search for victims in a destroyed building that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

The secretary of Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut yesterday, the military announces.

Ali Yusuf Harshi was targeted in a strike in Beirut’s Tallet Khayat neighborhood, outside of the Hezbollah Dahiyeh stronghold. Footage showed that the strike partially collapsed a multistory building.

The military says Harshi was Qassem’s nephew and personal secretary.

“Harshi was a close associate and personal advisor to Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, and played a central role in managing his office and his security,” the military says in a statement.

Meanwhile, the IDF says that overnight it struck two “central” Litani River crossings that were used by Hezbollah to transfer “thousands of weapons, rockets, and launchers” into southern Lebanon.

Additionally, some 10 weapon depots, rocket launchers, and Hezbollah headquarters were struck in southern Lebanon, the military adds.

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