Kassem, 71, a founding member of the militant group formed following Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, served as interim leader. He made several televised speeches, vowing that Hezbollah would continue to fight despite a string of setbacks.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel, drawing retaliation, after Hamas’s surprise attack in Gaza on October 7, 2023. Iran, which backs both groups, traded directly with Israel in April and then again this month.

Tensions with Hezbollah came to a head in September when Israel launched a wave of heavy airstrikes and killed Nasrallah and most of his top commanders. Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon in early October.

Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel on Tuesday, killing one person in the northern town of Maalot-Tarshiha, authorities said. Israeli strikes in the coastal city of Sidon killed at least five people, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said.

Israeli laws targeting the UN agency could further restrict aid

UNRWA and other international groups continued to express outrage on Tuesday at the Israeli parliament’s decision to cut ties with the agency.