Israel confirms Michigan synagogue attacker’s brother was Hezbollah commander
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Israel confirms Michigan synagogue attacker’s brother was Hezbollah commander")
Law enforcement vehicles are seen parked outside Temple Israel guarding the scene in West Bloomfield, Michigan, on March 13, 2026, after an person identified as Ayman Ghazali drove a vehicle into the building. Photograph: (AFP (File Photo)
The investigation revealed that Ayman was devastated by the deaths of his brother Ibrahim and Kassim Ghazali, as well as his niece and nephew, who were all killed in the same March 5 IDF strike in their hometown of Mashghara, Lebanon.
The Israeli military on Sunday (March 15) confirmed that the brother of the man who drove an explosive-laden vehicle into a Michigan synagogue on Thursday was a Hezbollah commander killed in an IDF strike last week.
The assailant's brother, “Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali, was responsible for managing weapons operations within a specialised branch of the Badr Unit. The unit is responsible for launching hundreds of rockets toward Israeli civilians throughout the war,” the IDF said on X.
According to the US Department of Homeland Security, Ayman Ghazali, 41, drove a vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township near Detroit before exchanging fire with security officers and eventually succumbing to injuries caused by a self-inflicted gunshot.
On March 12, Ghazali, a US citizen of Lebanese roots, rammed a pickup truck laden with fireworks and gasoline into the hallway of Temple Israel. Over 100 children who were present at the time of the incident and staff members remained uninjured, while a security guard was wounded after being struck by the vehicle.
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The FBI termed the incident a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.” The investigation revealed that Ayman was devastated by the deaths of his brother Ibrahim and Kassim Ghazali, as well as his niece and nephew, who were all killed in the same March 5 IDF strike in their hometown of Mashghara, Lebanon.
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Israel has intensified its offensive against Hezbollah to dismantle Iran's proxy network after joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28 targeted the top leadership of Iran, assassinating Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the opening day of the military campaign.
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