(The Age, 28/12/2023)
Hezbollah said one of the Australian brothers – Ali Bazzi – killed by an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon’s south was one of its fighters.
Overnight, the two Australian citizens, Ali and Ibrahim Bazzi as well as Ibrahim’s wife Shorouk, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Lebanese city of Bint Jbeil, according to Reuters, which cited security and local sources.
Al-Manar, the Hezbollah-run satellite television news channel, broadcast footage from the funerals showing the trio’s caskets covered in Hezbollah flags.
A screenshot of Hezbollah’s official wesbite eulogising what it said was one of its fighters, Australian-raised Ali Bazzi, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday.
Israel confirmed it had attacked what it claimed were terrorist infrastructure targets in Lebanon but did not respond to questions about the strikes in Bint Jbeil.
Ali’s brother, Ibrahim Bazzi, had travelled to Lebanon in recent days to visit his wife Shourouk, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which first reported the brothers’ deaths.
“The Islamic Resistance celebrates the martyr, the Mujahid Ali Ahmed Bazzi from the city of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, who rose as a martyr on the road to Jerusalem,” a eulogy praising Ali Bazzi on Hezbollah’s official website said.
The site did not name his brother Ibrahim.
Hezbollah enjoys widespread support in the area, which is close to the Israeli border.
Lebanon’s National News Agency, headquartered in the Government’s Ministry of Information in Beirut, said that enemy warplanes raided the Bazzi family’s house just before midnight on Tuesday, leaving a grim aftermath for rescuers in the morning.
“Their concerted efforts culminated in the recovery of the bodies of Ali Bazzi, his brother Ibrahim Bazzi, and Ibrahim’s wife, Shorouk Hamoud, and one injured person,” the NNA said.
The Australian Embassy in Beirut did not respond to requests for comment.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday night it was aware of the reports.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of reports an Australian citizen has died in Lebanon and is seeking confirmation,” a spokesperson said.
DFAT’s official travel advice says Australians should not travel to Lebanon, saying “daily military action is occurring in southern Lebanon, including rocket and missile fire, as well as airstrikes.”
“Avoid areas where military activity is ongoing,” DFAT’s travel advice says.
Israel’s Air Force said in a statement reported by the Jerusalem Post that it had destroyed Hezbollah military installations and terrorist infrastructure.
Israel’s military did not respond to this masthead’s request for comment or confirmation on the strikes.
Hezbollah has been designated a terrorist organisation by Australia, the United States and the UK. The Iranian-backed group formed after the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon in 1982 and like Hamas, which it supports, is also backed by Iran.
Since Hamas’ attack on October 7 in Israel’s south, the Israeli military has been engaged in rocket attacks with Hezbollah on its northern border, fearing an all-out attack from Iranian proxies.
Israeli air strikes and shelling have killed more than 100 Hezbollah fighters and nearly two dozen civilians, including children, the elderly and several journalists
with Reuters and Wafa Issa.