Israeli raid targets the second-in-command of Hezbollah and the leader of its military wing.

Arab Sea Newspaper - News Updates

Israel has dealt a new blow to the Lebanese Hezbollah by targeting one of its most prominent military leaders, Haitham Ali Tabatabai, in an airstrike carried out by the Israeli army on the capital, Beirut, according to what the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation announced on Sunday afternoon. According to Lebanese media, the raid hit a residential apartment in Al-Arid Street in the Haret Hreik area, a Hezbollah stronghold in the southern suburb, as ambulances rushed to the site amid initial reports of casualties. Tabatabai was born in Beirut in 1968 to an Iranian father and a Lebanese mother, and is considered one of the most prominent military leaders in Hezbollah during the last decade. He held the leadership of the "Radwan Force" and carried out special missions inside Syria and Yemen, before assuming the presidency of operations in the party after the killing of a number of senior leaders in the "Northern Arrows" operation. Washington considers him a highly dangerous figure, and has allocated a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his whereabouts. After the liquidations that affected the military leadership in the party, Tabatabai effectively became the "Chief of Staff" of Hezbollah, and is seen as the party's second man after Secretary-General Naim Qassem. In the past year, he shared the supreme military responsibility with the leader Muhammad Haidar, as part of efforts to rebuild and strengthen the organization's capabilities. Hezbollah has not yet announced any official position regarding the strike or the fate of Tabatabai. Israeli Channel 14 quoted an official source as saying that targeting Tabatabai came "in coordination with the United States." While Channel 12 indicated that Israel had tried to assassinate him twice during the ongoing war, before succeeding in targeting him this time. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that "the Israeli army launched an attack in the heart of Beirut targeting the Chief of Staff of Hezbollah, who is responsible for strengthening power and arming within the organization." The statement explained that the attack was carried out under the direct guidance of Netanyahu, based on the recommendation of the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff.