&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Hezbollah’s top commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai killed in Beirut airstrike, Israel claims responsibility")
Israel on Sunday (Nov 23) announced that it had killed Hezbollah's military chief Haytham Ali Tabatabai in an airstrike on Beirut. The Israeli military and Hezbollah confirmed that the strike hit an apartment building in the Haret Hreik district of the capital's southern suburbs. The strike killed five people and wounded 28, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Who was Haytham Ali Tabatabai?
Tabatabai, as per AFP, is the most senior Hezbollah commander killed by Israel since a ceasefire took effect in November 2024 to halt more than a year of fighting. The US Treasury had previously offered a $5 million reward for information on Tabatabai, who once oversaw Hezbollah’s operations in Yemen and Syria.
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The Israeli military said it had "eliminated the terrorist Haytham Ali Tabatabai", describing him as the group’s chief of general staff. It was the fifth Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs since the ceasefire began, and comes a week before Pope Leo XIV is due in Lebanon. Israel insisted it remains committed to the truce.
The Lebanese health ministry, in a statement, said that four of its fighters had been killed in the attack, but did not reveal the identities of those killed. Hezbollah later said four of its fighters were among the dead. Hezbollah said that "the great commander" Tabatabai was killed in "a treacherous Israeli attack".
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Israel won't allow Hezbollah to "rebuild"
This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel "will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its power" and urged the Lebanese government to "fulfil its commitment to disarm" the group. His office said he had ordered the attack. "In the heart of Beirut, the IDF (Israeli military) attacked the Hezbollah chief of staff, who had been leading the terrorist organisation's build-up and rearmament," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
Defence Minister Israel Katz in a separate statement warned that "Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have his hand cut off," vowing continued "policy of maximum enforcement".
