WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN. (VINnews) – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that a Hezbollah commander eliminated in a recent airstrike in Lebanon was the brother of the man who carried out a vehicle-ramming and shooting attack at Temple Israel synagogue near Detroit last week.

IDF Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee stated that Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali, a commander in Hezbollah’s anti-armor missile unit within the Badr Unit, was killed in an Israeli Air Force strike on a Hezbollah military structure on March 5. The Badr Unit has been responsible for launching hundreds of rockets at Israeli civilians during the ongoing conflict, according to the IDF.

❗️INTELLIGENCE REVEALS: BROTHER OF TERRORIST BEHIND U.S. SYNAGOGUE ATTACK WAS A HEZBOLLAH TERRORIST

Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali was responsible for managing weapons operations within a specialized branch of the Badr Unit. The unit is responsible for launching…

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 15, 2026

His brother, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon and residing in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, carried out the attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township on March 12. Authorities described it as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.

Ayman Ghazali rammed a truck through the synagogue’s doors, drove down a hallway, and exchanged gunfire with armed security guards. The vehicle caught fire, and he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after becoming trapped, according to the FBI and Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. A security guard was injured, and dozens of first responders were treated for smoke inhalation, but no one else was killed. More than 100 children were in the synagogue’s preschool at the time.

Federal officials identified Ghazali through the Department of Homeland Security. He had reportedly purchased thousands of dollars in fireworks days before the attack, which investigators believe were intended as explosives. He had waited in the parking lot for over two hours prior to ramming the building.

Multiple reports, including from Lebanese officials in Mashgharah village, indicate that Ayman Ghazali lost four family members in the March 5 Israeli airstrike: brothers Ibrahim and Kassim (also spelled Qassem), along with Ibrahim’s children, Ali and Fatima. A local official told the Associated Press the family was killed at home during iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal. Some sources, including U.S. media citing officials, linked the brothers to Hezbollah’s rocket operations, though details vary.

The FBI is leading the investigation into the motive and any potential connections. The attack has heightened concerns over antisemitic violence amid the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Temple Israel, one of the largest Reform synagogues in the U.S., condemned the assault and praised its security team’s response. No additional details on potential charges or further suspects have been released, as the probe continues.