By Euronews
Published on
•Updated
Israel announced on Sunday evening that it had killed Haytham Tabtabai, thought to be Hezbollah’s chief of staff, in a strike on the Lebanese capital Beirut.
The attack in the southern suburbs killed five people and wounded 25 others, according to local authorities. It was the first Israeli strike in Beirut since June.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement: “We will continue to act forcefully to prevent any threat to the residents of the north and the state of Israel.”
Hezbollah earlier said a senior figure was likely killed in the attack, without providing further details.
“Hezbollah’s leadership is studying the issue of the response and will make an appropriate decision. Today’s attack in the southern suburbs opens the door to an escalation of attacks across Lebanon,” said Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chairman of Hezbollah’s political council, speaking from the scene.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Sunday’s attack and accused Israel of refusing to implement the ceasefire agreement. He called on the international community to “intervene forcefully and seriously to stop the attacks against Lebanon and its people.”
Elite unit commander
Tabtabai had led Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit.
He was considered the successor to Ibrahim Akil, who was killed in September 2024 in Israeli attacks that wiped out much of Hezbollah’s senior leadership, including longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The Israeli military said he “commanded most of Hezbollah’s units and worked hard to bring them back to readiness for war with Israel.”
Israel’s foreign ministry said his killing came after repeated ceasefire violations by Hezbollah.
Additional sources • AP
