Israel Kills Hezbollah Commander in Beirut Airstrike/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Israel launched a rare airstrike on Beirut, killing a top Hezbollah official. The attack raises tensions a year after the last war’s ceasefire. Hezbollah warns of escalation as Lebanon condemns the action.
Hezbollah Strike in Beirut: Quick Looks
- Israeli airstrike in Beirut kills Hezbollah commander Haytham Tabtabai
- Strike marks first Israeli attack on Beirut since June
- Five people killed, 25 wounded, says Lebanon’s Health Ministry
- Hezbollah confirms Tabtabai’s death, warns of escalation
- Israeli officials say strike aimed at preventing Hezbollah’s rearmament
- Beirut suburb hit days before Pope’s Lebanon visit
- Lebanese president condemns attack, urges international intervention
- Hezbollah parliamentarian claims strike hit civilian area
- Israeli military remains on alert but does not expect retaliation
- Tabtabai linked to elite Radwan Unit, previously designated terrorist
- Hezbollah leadership considering its response amid rising tensions
Israel Kills Hezbollah Commander in Beirut Airstrike
Deep Look
In a significant escalation of tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on Beirut for the first time in nearly six months, killing a senior Hezbollah commander, Haytham Tabtabai. The strike, which hit the southern Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik on Sunday, resulted in five deaths and injured at least 25 people, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
The attack comes just days ahead of a scheduled visit to Lebanon by Pope Leo XIV and almost exactly a year after the ceasefire that ended the most recent war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah confirmed Tabtabai’s death, acknowledging the loss of one of its most important military leaders. Tabtabai was reportedly in line to succeed Hezbollah’s previous military chief and led the elite Radwan Unit. He had been designated a terrorist by the United States in 2016 for his leadership roles in Syria and Yemen and had a $5 million bounty placed on him.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Tabtabai of playing a central role in rearming Hezbollah, while Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the group against rebuilding its military infrastructure.
“We will continue to act forcefully to prevent any threat to the residents of the north and the state of Israel,” Katz said. Despite the heightened alert, the Israeli military did not anticipate immediate retaliation and advised northern communities to carry on with routine life.
The airstrike has ignited fresh tensions in the region, raising fears of a wider conflict. Hezbollah officials warned of possible retaliation.
“Hezbollah’s leadership is studying the matter of response and will take the appropriate decision,” said Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of the group’s political council, while standing amid the rubble in Haret Hreik. He warned that “the strike opens the door to an escalation of assaults all over Lebanon.”
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun strongly condemned the attack, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire terms. He appealed to the international community to intervene to halt Israeli aggression and protect Lebanese sovereignty.
Smoke billowed over the densely populated Haret Hreik neighborhood after the strike. The fourth floor of an apartment building was destroyed. Emergency workers had to fire gunshots in the air to disperse crowds as they moved in to assess the damage.
“This is definitely a civilian area and void of any military presence,” claimed Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Ammar, speaking from the scene. Residents expressed defiance in the face of the attack. “They want to take our weapons. But our weapons will not be taken,” said Maryam Assaf, a local resident. “It only gives us more determination, strength, and dignity.”
Israel maintains that the strike is part of a broader effort to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding its arsenal, a concern shared by the United States. The Lebanese government, while officially supporting the disarmament of all non-state actors, has argued that it lacks the military and financial capacity to enforce such actions on Hezbollah without broader international support.
Tabtabai’s death follows the September 2024 assassination of Ibrahim Aqil, another senior Hezbollah figure, in a series of Israeli strikes that significantly depleted the group’s leadership. Those strikes also reportedly killed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s long-time leader, leaving the group in a weakened state.
The last major conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted on October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel. Hezbollah, in a show of solidarity, began firing rockets into Israeli territory, triggering a massive Israeli air and ground campaign that devastated parts of southern Lebanon.
That war resulted in the deaths of over 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, and inflicted an estimated $11 billion in damage, according to the World Bank. In Israel, 127 people were killed, including 80 soldiers.
The attack in Beirut follows another deadly Israeli airstrike earlier in the week, which killed 13 people in the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon. Israel claimed it was targeting a Hamas military site, though the group denied operating any such facility in the densely populated camp.
Meanwhile, fallout from the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack continues within Israel’s military establishment. Israeli army chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced disciplinary actions against 13 senior officers, citing systemic failures in intelligence and operational readiness that allowed the initial Hamas assault. Some were retired, while others were removed from reserve duty entirely.
The Beirut strike is widely viewed as a bold and potentially destabilizing move by Israel, signaling that it will continue to target Hezbollah leadership wherever they are found. With Hezbollah’s leadership now deliberating a potential response, regional stability hangs in the balance, just as Lebanon prepares to host a high-profile papal visit.
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