Beirut (TDI): Israel announced on Sunday that it had killed senior Hezbollah commander Haytham Ali Tabtabai in an airstrike on a residential neighborhood in Beirut, an attack that also left several civilians dead or wounded.
Israeli military spokesman Avichai Adraee said Tabtabai had been “eliminated,” calling him a key figure in the group. Hezbollah has reportedly confirmed his death.
According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, the strike hit multiple floors of a building on Al-Arid Street in Haret Hreik without prior warning, killing five people and injuring 28. The densely populated area lies in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack, saying it showed Israel had no intention of halting its campaign against Lebanon despite repeated appeals from the international community. He said Beirut had respected the cessation of hostilities for nearly a year and had repeatedly put forward diplomatic proposals, only for Israel to dismiss them.
Aoun urged global powers to intervene “seriously and decisively” to prevent further escalation, warning that continued strikes risked dragging the region back into wider conflict.
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Israeli media reported that Tel Aviv had informed the ceasefire monitoring body that it would not expand operations unless Hezbollah retaliated. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the government was working through diplomatic channels to prevent the country from sliding into a deeper conflict, emphasizing the need to protect civilians and secure the return of Lebanese detainees.
Hours after the strike, Adraee described Tabtabai as a long-serving Hezbollah commander who joined the group in the 1980s and rose through its ranks. He held major roles, including leadership of the Radwan Unit, overseeing operations in Syria, and later managing Hezbollah’s wartime command structure. Following Operation Northern Arrows, he became Hezbollah’s chief of staff and led efforts to rebuild the group’s military capabilities.
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Israeli media said the Beirut strike involved three GBU-39 precision-guided bombs, capable of penetrating reinforced concrete. Reports also suggested Israel had previously attempted to assassinate Tabtabai during the war, and that the latest operation was coordinated with the United States.
The US had issued a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Tabtabai’s capture or location. Washington has accused him of directing elite units and coordinating Hezbollah-linked activities in Syria and Yemen, labeling him a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in 2016.
