The Israel Defense Forces recently identified Ayman Muhammad Ghazali’s brother as a Hezbollah commander. Ayman, 41, was killed last Thursday after driving to Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan.
His younger brother, Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali, reportedly managed weapon operations within Hezbollah’s specialized Badr Force. The IDF mentioned in a statement that this division was involved in launching numerous rockets at Israeli civilians during the recent conflict involving Iran.
Days prior to Ayman’s attack, two of his brothers, along with his niece and nephew, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese town of Mashgara. This occurred while the family was gathered for their evening meal during Ramadan.
Ayman entered the United States in 2011, marrying an American citizen, and gained U.S. citizenship in 2016 during President Obama’s administration.
On the day of the incident, he drove approximately 68 miles from his home in Dearborn Heights, a mostly Muslim suburb of Detroit, to Temple Israel, notable for being one of the largest Reform synagogues in the country, which also houses a school and childcare center.
After crashing a vehicle loaded with fireworks and gasoline, he engaged in a shootout with security personnel but eventually became trapped in his burning car and was shot dead.
Thanks to the swift response of the temple’s security team, none of the 140 children, teachers, or staff inside were harmed. “If they hadn’t all done a near-perfect job, we would be here talking about an unfathomable tragedy of children missing,” said Senator Elissa Slotkin at a press briefing.
A mosque in Dearborn Heights held a prayer service for Ghazali’s relatives the weekend following the incident. Imam Hassan Qazwini, who had met Ghazali only once, condemned the synagogue attack, stating, “Islam forbids holding innocent people accountable for acts committed by others.” He also emphasized that recent attacks by Iran and Israel on civilians in Lebanon do not justify assaulting synagogues or peaceful communities.
