[3][4] On the eve of the German invasion of Yugoslavia, several paramilitary units (mostly Albanians) backed by the Yugoslav army crossed the border and attacked the Italian positions, badly organized and prepared, in two directions: near Shkodër and near Pogradec (Qafë Thanë).

He was nominally the third most powerful man in Albania, behind general secretary Enver Hoxha and prime minister Mehmet Shehu.

Lleshi retired from his position as chairman of the Presidium on 22 November 1982, after nearly 30 years in office, when Hoxha reshuffled the government.

Hoxha died three years later, and during the early 1990s, the communist regime fell, but Lleshi continued to live in Albania.

83 year old Haxhi Lleshi was sentenced to life imprisonment, but a month later, on 24 July 1996, he was released on bail, taking into account age and health In 1998, he died from natural causes.