Israeli airstrike kills Hezbollah commander in Beirut
An Israeli airstrike in Beirut has killed senior Hezbollah commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai, also known as Abu Ali Tabatabai. The attack, which occurred in the Haret Hreik district, a Hezbollah stronghold, resulted in at least five casualties and 28 injuries according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Both Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Forces confirmed his death, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praising the strike as part of Israel’s ongoing efforts to dismantle the group.
The strike has drawn condemnation from Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who called on the international community to intervene to stop the attacks on Lebanon and its people. The Israeli officials indicated that Tabatabai served as the group’s second-in-command and was overseeing Hezbollah’s rearmament efforts following recent setbacks by Israel, including the detonation of booby-trapped pagers last year that Israeli intelligence previously infiltrated into the movement’s supply channels. Netanyahu claimed Tabatabai had been overseeing Hezbollah’s rearmament efforts as the organization worked to rebuild its capabilities following a string of setbacks by Israel, including the detonation of booby-trapped pagers last year that Israeli intelligence previously infiltrated into the movement’s supply channels. He argued that dismantling the organization would enable “a better future… for every citizen in Lebanon.”
Hezbollah is among the Iran-backed forces opposing Israel’s regional dominance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the strike, calling it part of Israel’s ongoing efforts to destroy the group, which it accuses of terrorism.
“It is not for nothing that the US put a bounty of five million dollars on his head,” Netanyahu said on X, referring to the reward the US issued in 2016, a year after Tabatabai escaped an earlier Israeli assassination attempt.
Israeli officials said Tabatabai served as the group’s “second-in-command” within its current military hierarchy. Hezbollah referred to him as a “great commander.”
Netanyahu claimed Tabatabai had been overseeing Hezbollah’s rearmament efforts as the organization worked to rebuild its capabilities following a string of setbacks by Israel, including the detonation of booby-trapped pagers last year that Israeli intelligence previously infiltrated into the movement’s supply channels. He argued that dismantling the organization would enable “a better future… for every citizen in Lebanon.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the latest attack, calling on the international community to “assume its responsibility and intervene firmly and seriously to stop the attacks on Lebanon and its people.”