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A December 26, 2023 Israeli strike on a building in Bint Jbeil, a well-known Hizbullah stronghold in South Lebanon, reportedly killed three people: Ali Bazzi, his brother Ibrahim Bazzi and Ibrahim's wife Shorouq Hamoud. Hizbullah initially claimed that all three were civilians, but later announced that Ali Bazzi was a "jihad fighter" and "a martyr [who fell] on the way to Jerusalem." According to reports in the Australian and Lebanese media, the two brothers had Australian citizenship from their mother, and Ibrahim's wife had recently received an Australian visa.[1] On December 28, The Islamic Center of America announced that on the 30th of the month it would host commemoration services in their memory. The invitation stated that the three had "died unjustly as martyrs in an attack by the Zionist army." It neglected to mention that Ali Bazzi was a Hizbullah operative, although the Hizbullah statement to that effect was issued on the previous day.[2]
The above invitation was posted on The Islamic Center of America Facebook page (Source: Facebook, December 28, 2023)
The above statement from Hizbullah says that Ali Bazzi was a Hizbullah fighter who died as a martyr (December 27, 2023)
The Islamic Center of America, located in Detroit, Michigan, functions as a mosque for the local Shi'ite community and is considered the largest mosque in North America.
[1] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Two Australian Nationals Killed In Israeli Strike In South Lebanon; Hizbullah: One Of Them Was A Fighter In Our Organization, December 28, 2023.
[2] Facebook, December 28, 2023.
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