BEIRUT — Hezbollah confirmed that its senior military commander, Haytham Ali Tabataba,i was killed in an Israeli air strike on Lebanon’s capital on Sunday, raising fears of renewed escalation in the region.
Tabatabai, chief of staff of Hezbollah’s armed wing, was among at least five people killed in an attack on an apartment building in the Dahiyeh district of southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said 28 others were wounded.
In a statement, Hezbollah described Tabatabai as “the great commander” and called the strike “treacherous,” without specifying his position within the group. He is the most senior Hezbollah leader to be killed by Israel since a November 2024 ceasefire aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities.
The Israeli military confirmed that Tabatabai was the target of the strike, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it was carried out to eliminate him. Israeli media reported it was the military’s third attempt to kill him since last year’s conflict.
Senior Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati said the attack crossed a “red line” and warned that it could lead to wider assaults across Lebanon. Analysts say the group now faces a difficult choice, balancing the risk of further Israeli attacks against the pressure to respond.
Tabatabai was born in 1968 in Beirut to a Lebanese mother and an Iranian father. He grew up in southern Lebanon and joined Hezbollah at the age of 12.
The attack caused significant damage to surrounding buildings and vehicles, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency, which reported that two missiles struck the apartment block on al-Arid Street in Haret Hreik.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on the international community to intervene to stop Israeli strikes and protect Lebanese civilians. “Lebanon reiterates its call to the international community to assume its responsibility and intervene firmly and seriously to stop the attacks on Lebanon and its people,” Aoun said.
Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar said the air strike violated the ceasefire brokered by the United States last year, describing it as a “crossing of a red line” against Lebanon’s sovereignty and security.
Israel has carried out near-daily strikes on southern Lebanon in recent weeks and has attacked Beirut several times, though the capital had not been targeted in recent months. Earlier this week, at least 13 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon.
Analysts note that Hezbollah is now under pressure to decide how to respond. Ali Rizk, a security affairs analyst, said a full-scale retaliation could provoke a wider Israeli bombardment, while failure to respond could further weaken the group’s deterrence.
Israel and the United States have pressed Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah. The Lebanese government approved a plan in September to disarm the group nationwide by year-end, but Hezbollah has refused to comply, while Israel continues strikes and maintains a presence in parts of southern Lebanon.
Sunday’s air strike occurred just days before Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Lebanon, amid growing tensions and ongoing Israeli military operations in the country.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
