Israel Kills Hezbollah Chief of Staff in Beirut Strike
An Israeli airstrike on Haret Hreik in Beirut killed a senior Hezbollah military commander, raising fears of renewed cross border escalation and civilian suffering in Lebanon. The attack comes as regional actors urged restraint and as reports said Washington was not notified in advance, complicating international diplomacy ahead of a planned papal visit.
Israeli warplanes struck a dense residential quarter of Beirut on November 23, killing a senior Hezbollah commander and leaving at least five civilians dead, Lebanese authorities said, in one of the most significant Israeli strikes in the Lebanese capital since last year’s ceasefire. The Israeli military said the strike "eliminated" Haytham Ali Tabtabai, also reported as Haytham or Hyatham Tabtabai, whom it described as Hezbollah’s chief of staff and a principal architect of the group’s effort to rebuild its military capabilities after the 2023 to 2024 war.
The strike hit Haret Hreik in the southern suburbs, a neighborhood long associated with Hezbollah. Lebanon’s health ministry reported five dead and dozens wounded, with Reuters citing a toll of five killed and 28 injured. Streets near the impact site were strewn with debris and the smoke of small fires lingered as emergency crews worked through the night. Local residents said family homes and apartment blocks were damaged, deepening fears about civilian exposure to the conflict.
Hezbollah confirmed the killing and denounced the attack as a "treacherous attack," warning of possible retaliation. The group’s readiness to respond was underscored by heightened alert levels along the Israel Lebanon frontier and exchanges of gunfire and rocket fire reported earlier in the week. Israeli officials framed the operation as a targeted move to prevent what they say is Hezbollah’s rearmament and consolidation of battlefield command inside Lebanese territory.
The strike reverberated beyond Lebanon and Israel. Several governments and media outlets reported the attack had not been notified to Washington in advance, according to some sources, a detail likely to complicate Israeli diplomatic ties with the United States even as Washington urged caution and deescalation. European and Arab capitals called for restraint and the preservation of Lebanon’s fragile state institutions, emphasizing the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of wider conflict inside the capital.
Analysts said the assassination of a senior military figure in central Beirut risks undoing fragile gains from last year’s ceasefire by increasing incentives for tit for tat strikes and drawing in regional backers. Lebanon’s government faces a delicate test. It must assert sovereignty and protect civilians while avoiding a spiral into all out confrontation that could devastate the country’s already weakened economy and deepen political polarization.
The timing of the attack further heightened tensions. A papal visit planned to Lebanon in the coming days amplifies concerns for security and for the optics of violence in the capital at a moment intended to underscore peace and reconciliation. Humanitarian organizations warned of renewed displacement if hostilities widen, and legal experts raised questions about the proportionality and legality of strikes in densely populated areas.
For now the immediate trajectory remains uncertain. Both sides possess incentives to avoid a full scale war, yet each provocation raises the stakes. International mediators and regional powers will be watched closely as they try to manage fallout and keep the conflict from widening beyond Lebanon’s borders.
