Israel Says Michigan Synagogue Attacker’s Brother Was Hezbollah Commander

Israeli military officials claim the brother of a man who attacked a Detroit-area synagogue last week was a Hezbollah commander killed in an airstrike. The FBI is investigating the synagogue attack but declined to comment on Israel's claims about the family connection.

Israeli defense forces announced Sunday that a Hezbollah commander eliminated in a recent airstrike was the sibling of the individual who carried out last week’s assault on a Detroit-area synagogue.

According to Israeli military statements, Ibrahim Ghazali died in Lebanon alongside three additional family members of the synagogue attacker on March 5 — seven days before officials say Ayman Mohamad Ghazali rammed his vehicle into a prominent synagogue near Detroit and took his own life following gunfire from security personnel.

Federal investigators from the FBI’s Detroit division, who are handling the synagogue incident, refused to address the Israeli military’s assertions regarding Ibrahim Ghazali.

“Out of respect for the ongoing investigation, we will continue to refrain from commenting on its substance,” FBI spokesman Jordan Hall said in an email Sunday.

The Associated Press could not independently confirm the allegation that Ibrahim Ghazali held militant positions.

Israeli defense officials contend that Ibrahim Ghazali served as a Hezbollah commander responsible for overseeing weaponry for a division that launched rocket attacks against Israel.

A Lebanese government source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on publicly discussing airstrike details, verified Ibrahim Ghazali’s death to the AP, stating that Ghazali’s offspring, Ali and Fatima, along with his sibling Kassim, also perished when the strike targeted their residence shortly after dusk.

Law enforcement officials indicate that Ayman Ghazali, age 41, executed the synagogue assault after discovering that four family members had been eliminated in the Israeli bombardment.

Israel has intensified operations against the Iranian-supported militant organization Hezbollah in Lebanon as conflict with Iran has expanded hostilities throughout the Middle East region.

Last Thursday, Ayman Ghazali remained in his vehicle outside Temple Israel, located near Detroit, for approximately two hours carrying a rifle, industrial-grade fireworks and containers of liquid suspected to be gasoline, before driving into the facility filled with numerous children, according to law enforcement.

He began shooting his weapon through the front window, engaging in a firefight with an armed security officer. Ghazali ended his own life after becoming trapped in his vehicle when the engine ignited, stated Jennifer Runyan, the special agent overseeing the FBI’s Detroit regional office. No staff members or children within the synagogue sustained injuries, presumably due to enhanced security measures implemented in recent months.

Federal investigators leading the probe characterized the assault on one of America’s largest Reform Jewish congregations as violence directed at the Jewish community, though they stated insufficient evidence exists currently to classify it as terrorism.

Ghazali arrived in the United States in 2011 through an immediate family visa as a U.S. citizen’s spouse and obtained American citizenship in 2016, based on Department of Homeland Security records.

He resided in a one-level brick residence in Dearborn Heights, a Detroit suburb located roughly 38 miles south of the targeted synagogue.

The Michigan synagogue incident occurred on the same date as a former Army National Guard member, who previously served prison time for attempting to assist the Islamic State, opened fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University in Virginia, resulting in one death and two injuries.