Israel's military said Thursday it had struck and killed a close adviser to Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem in Beirut a day earlier, when Israeli strikes pummelled 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 said.
Harshi was "a close associate and personal adviser to ... Qassem and played a central role in managing and securing his office", it added.
Hezbollah entered the war in the region on Iran's side on March 2, two days after the United States and Israel began airstrikes against Iran, killing then Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Israel said it would respond forcefully and has since carried out airstrikes that have killed more than a thousand people.
