Israel said on Thursday it had killed Naim Qassem, the leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, in a strike on Beirut overnight. Hezbollah attacked Israel after Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the war. Israel had already weakened the group's military capabilities and hammered it with a series of assassinations since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023. Qassem threatened Israel directly, saying missiles would fall on it if it resumed a broad war on Lebanon. Hezbollah named Qassem, who had been a senior figure in the group for more than 30 years, as its new chief a month after Nasrallah's killing.

Source: The Telegraph April 09, 2026 08:01 UTC