After Khamenei killing, Israel sets sights on Hezbollah leader
Photo: Israel Katz, Israel's defense minister (Getty Images)
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has become Israel’s next target following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reports.
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Katz said Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem became a target after the terrorist group launched overnight rocket and drone attacks on Israel.
"The Hezbollah terror organization will pay a heavy price for the firing toward Israel, and Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s secretary general, who decided on the firing under pressure from Iran, from now on, he is a marked target for elimination," he said.
The minister added that anyone who follows the path of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei "will soon find himself together with him in the depths of hell with all those eliminated from the axis of evil."
Background
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group, earlier fired rockets at the Israeli city of Haifa.
The group described the attack as “revenge for the blood of the Supreme Leader of Muslims Ali Khamenei.” During the barrage, a strike hit an air defense facility south of Haifa.
On the night of March 2, the Israel Defense Forces responded with strikes on targets in Lebanon — including Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut and areas in the south of the country.
This marked the largest Israeli attack on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital since 2024.
The IDF has also announced the start of an offensive against Hezbollah and is preparing for prolonged fighting.
As previously reported, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on Saturday, February 28, during a series of Israeli and US strikes. Several senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were also killed.
