Assassination of an Iranian-Descended Hezbollah Commander in Lebanon
WANA (Nov 23) – Local sources in Beirut reported on Sunday that an Israeli airstrike targeted the southern suburb of the city, known as Dahiyeh. According to initial information, the attack resulted in the killing of Haitham Ali Tabatabai, a senior Hezbollah commander. Observers described the operation as being carried out in violation of certain understandings between Lebanon and Israel.
Tabatabai, born in Beirut in 1968 to an Iranian father and a Lebanese mother, was regarded as one of the most prominent figures within Hezbollah’s military structure. Lebanese media described him as “the second-in-command” of the group. He led Hezbollah’s elite “Radwan Force” and played a significant role in its operations during the wars in Syria and Yemen. Following the killing of several senior Hezbollah officials in the “Northern Arrows” operation, he was also appointed as the group’s operations commander. The United States had previously offered a five-million-dollar reward for information leading to his capture.
According to initial reports by Al Mayadeen, three people were killed and 25 others injured in the strike, with the possibility of a rising toll. In a separate statement, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health confirmed the death of a civilian in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in the town of Aita al-Shaab, in the country’s south.
A photo of Haitham Ali Tabatabai alongside Sayyed Hashem Safi al-Din. Social media / WANA News Agency
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Lebanon condemned the attacks, writing on its official account on X: “The scale of Israel’s criminal aggression against Dahiyeh has expanded.” The Embassy added: “This terrorist regime shows no hesitation in threatening the people of Lebanon, but such cowardly attacks have neither weakened the determination of those seeking justice nor undermined their resolve in confronting oppression.”
Alongside the Dahiyeh strike, Lebanese sources reported continued Israeli military actions in other parts of southern Lebanon. The drone attack on Aita al-Shaab was cited as another instance of repeated violations of the ceasefire.
The Lebanese government has not yet issued a final assessment regarding casualties, the technical details of the strike, or its political implications. However, analysts expect that the killing of Tabatabai—considered one of the central figures within Hezbollah’s military leadership—may have significant security and political repercussions for Lebanon and the broader region.
