Israel says it killed a senior Hezbollah official in its first strike on Beirut in months

Israel Strikes Beirut, Killing Top Hezbollah Commander Amid Fragile Ceasefire

Israel struck Lebanon’s capital for the first time since June, killing Hezbollah’s chief of staff Haytham Tabtabai in an attack that threatens to destabilize the region just days before Pope Leo XIV’s scheduled visit to the country.

The airstrike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday, killing five people and wounding 25 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Hezbollah confirmed Tabtabai’s death and warned that the strike “threatens an escalation of attacks” nearly one year after the ceasefire that ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

“We will continue to act forcefully to prevent any threat to the residents of the north and the state of Israel,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. Israeli military authorities instructed residents in northern Israel near the Lebanese border to continue with daily routines, suggesting they do not anticipate an immediate military response from Hezbollah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Tabtabai of leading Hezbollah’s efforts to rebuild its military capabilities, a claim the Lebanese government denies. The government maintains it has deployed troops to the south but says its cash-strapped army needs more resources to effectively control the region.

Tabtabai was considered the apparent successor to Ibrahim Aqil, who was killed in September 2024 during Israeli attacks that eliminated much of Hezbollah’s senior leadership, including longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah. Tabtabai previously led Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Unit and was designated as a terrorist by the United States in 2016, which offered a $5 million reward for information about him.

The U.S. had identified him as a military leader who commanded Hezbollah’s special forces in Syria and Yemen.

“Hezbollah’s leadership is studying the matter of response and will take the appropriate decision,” said Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, speaking to journalists at the scene. “The strike on the southern suburbs today opens the door to an escalation of assaults all over Lebanon.”

The strike targeted the busy Haret Hreik neighborhood without issuing an evacuation warning beforehand. The fourth floor of an apartment building was damaged in the attack. Hezbollah parliamentarian Ali Ammar insisted to reporters that “this is definitely a civilian area and void of any military presence.”

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the strike and accused Israel of failing to implement its end of the ceasefire agreement. He called for international intervention “to stop the attacks on Lebanon and its people.” Israel, for its part, maintained that it remains committed to the “understandings” agreed upon by both nations.

The attack comes at a delicate moment in regional politics. Lebanon’s president said last week that the country is prepared to enter negotiations with Israel to halt airstrikes and secure Israeli withdrawal from five hilltop positions on Lebanese territory. He also affirmed Lebanon’s commitment to disarming non-state actors, including Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has maintained that discussions about its military arsenal should come through dialogue with the Lebanese state once Israel ceases its attacks.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas attacked southern Israel, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas. Israel’s response included widespread bombardment followed by a ground invasion that severely weakened Hezbollah.

That conflict killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, and caused approximately $11 billion in damage, according to World Bank estimates. In Israel, 127 people died, including 80 soldiers.

Just days before Sunday’s strike in Beirut, an Israeli attack killed 13 people in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh near the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. Israel claimed it targeted a Hamas military facility, though Hamas denied having any military presence in the crowded camp.

Meanwhile, in Israel, the army’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, announced sanctions against 13 army officials who held top command positions during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Some were censured while others were forced into retirement, acknowledging what Zamir called a “severe, resounding and systemic failure” to protect Israelis.

The continued tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border underscore the fragility of the ceasefire as the region approaches the one-year anniversary of the agreement that ended the last major conflict.