Jerusalem, 23 november, 2025 (TPS-IL) — An Israeli airstrike in Beirut on targeted Hezbollah senior commander and number two man Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed.
Tabatabai is considered Hezbollah’s de facto chief of staff and the group’s second-most senior figure after secretary general Naim Qassem.
It wasn’t clear if Tabatabai survived the strike.
The U.S. previously offered a $5 million reward for information on Tabatabai, who previously led the terror group’s special forces in Syria and Yemen.
Israel has stepped up its strikes on Hezbollah as the Iran-backed terror group tries to regroup and rebuild.
Under the terms of the ceasefire that went into effect on November 27, 2024, Hezbollah is required to withdraw its armed forces from southern Lebanon. According to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the group is prohibited from operating south of the Litani River.
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