Israeli Military Claims Brother of Michigan Synagogue Attacker Was Hezbollah Commander

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Israel's military has claimed that Ibrahim Ghazali, the brother of Ayman Mohamad Ghazali who attacked a Michigan synagogue last week, was a Hezbollah commander. The FBI's Detroit office, which is investigating the synagogue attack, declined to comment on the Israeli military's claims about Ibrahim Ghazali.

Why it matters

The alleged connection between the synagogue attacker's brother and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah adds a complex geopolitical dimension to the investigation of the Michigan attack, which authorities have not yet labeled as an act of terrorism.

The details

According to the report, Ibrahim Ghazali was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon on March 5, a week before Ayman Mohamad Ghazali allegedly drove his car into a synagogue outside Detroit, exchanged gunfire with an armed security guard, and then fatally shot himself. The Israeli military claims Ibrahim Ghazali was a Hezbollah commander who managed weapons for a unit that fired rockets at Israel. A Lebanese official confirmed Ibrahim Ghazali's death in the airstrike, which also killed three of his other family members.

• On March 5, 2026, Ibrahim Ghazali was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon.
• On March 15, 2026, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali allegedly attacked a synagogue outside Detroit, Michigan.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The FBI's Detroit office, which is leading the investigation into the synagogue attack, has declined to comment on the Israeli military's claims about Ibrahim Ghazali's alleged ties to Hezbollah. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not yet determined if the attack should be classified as an act of terrorism.