An Israeli airstrike in Beirut has killed Haytham Ali Tabatabai, a senior Hezbollah commander, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. The attack, which occurred in the Haret Hreik district, a Hezbollah stronghold, resulted in at least five casualties and 28 injuries. Both Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed his death, with Tabatabai being a long-serving commander who had survived previous Israeli targeted killings.
Tabatabai, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Ali Tabatabai, joined Hezbollah as a teenager after its formation during Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. He was one of the few long-serving commanders to survive Israel’s targeted-killing campaign last year. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed force opposing Israel’s regional dominance, is among the groups the Israeli government accuses of terrorism. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the strike, calling it part of Israel’s ongoing efforts to destroy the group, which it accuses of terrorism. Netanyahu also referenced a $5 million bounty the US issued on Tabatabai’s head in 2016, highlighting the high stakes of the conflict.
Israeli officials stated that 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.’