Hezbollah commander Salim Jamil Ayyash, who was involved in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, has been killed in recent Israeli strikes. The Times of Israel has published the report of Salim’s death quoting Saudi media Al Arabiya. Al Arabiya has given this report on the basis of information circulating on social media quoting unconfirmed sources. It states that Salim was surrounded near the Syrian city of al-Qusayr.
This city is considered a stronghold of Hezbollah. According to the US State Department, a reward of one crore dollars was declared on Salim. He was a senior member of Hezbollah’s assassination squad Unit 151. In the year 2020, Salim was sentenced to death by a United Nations tribunal in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Hariri was assassinated in a suicide bombing in 2005. Then-Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah had refused to hand Salim over to authorities. Salim was also tried in connection with three other deadly attacks on Lebanese politicians between 2004 and 2005.
Internal discord in Israel, Defense Ministry Director General offers to resign
Internal strife has also started in Israel, which is fighting a war on many fronts. After PM Netanyahu’s sudden removal of the Defense Minister from the post, Israeli Defense Ministry Director General Eyal Zamir has now requested to resign from the post. In this matter, the Israeli Defense Ministry says that Eyal Zamir held his first meeting with the new Defense Minister Israel Katz this morning. During this, he requested to leave his post soon.
The ministry says that at the request of Defense Minister Israel Katz, it was agreed that the director general would remain in his post for the time being. Let us tell you that Eyal Zamir was appointed last year by former Defense Minister Yoav Galant. Former Defense Minister Yoav Galant was controversially fired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week.