Who Was Haytham Tabatabai, Top Hezbollah Leader Killed By Israel In Beirut

The Israeli military said it has killed senior Hezbollah leader Haytham Ali Tabatabai in its strike in Beirut on Sunday. 

The Israeli Defence Forces, in a statement, described Tabtabai as the Iran-backed militant group's chief of staff, who had led Hezbollah's elite Radwan Unit, which was tasked with planning cross-border attacks on Israel.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF struck "in the heart of Beirut", targeting Tabatabai, who had been leading the organisation's buildup and rearmament."

Born in 1968 in Beirut to a south Lebanese mother and an Iranian father, he grew up in southern Lebanon and joined Hezbollah at the age of 12, the Times of Israel reported. 

In 2015, Israel had attempted to assassinate Tabatabai in southern Syria, in a strike that killed Jihad Mughniyeh, son of Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in 2008. He moved up in Hezbollah's hierarchy in late 2024 after much of the group's top leadership was eliminated by the IDF.

In 2016, the United States listed Tabtabai as a terrorist and offered up to $5 million for information about him.

🔴 ELIMINATED: Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah's Chief of General Staff, in the Beirut area.

Tabatabai, a veteran operative since the 1980s, commanded the Radwan Force, led Hezbollah operations in Syria, and entrenched its operational and combat capabilities.

During the war… pic.twitter.com/mCllkJOole

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 23, 2025

Tabatabai, who is Hezbollah's de facto chief of staff, is the second-in-command after Secretary General Naim Qassem. 

Hezbollah confirmed the strike targeting one of its top leaders but did not disclose the person's identity. 

"The targeting was clearly aimed at a key... figure in the resistance, and the results are unknown," news agency AFP quoted Hezbollah official Mahmud Qomati as saying. He said the attack "crosses a new red line".

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported five people had been killed and at least 28 injured in the strike, which left a smoking hole in the side of an apartment building and debris scattered in a crowded area of southern Beirut. 

"This is definitely a civilian area and void of any military presence, especially the neighbourhood where we stand," news agency AP quoted Hezbollah parliamentarian Ali Ammar as saying.  

Confirming the strike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that they conducted a precise strike on a "key" Hezbollah militant in Beirut.  

The strike in the south of the capital is the first on Beirut since June 5, when Israel said it hit a Hezbollah drone factory.

It follows an earlier strike on the southern town of Aita al-Shaab, which the Lebanese health ministry said killed one person.

Hezbollah was weakened by its fight with Israel, which it started in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza in October 2023 with cross-border exchanges of fire that later escalated into two months of full-blown war.

Netanyahu had insisted earlier on Sunday that Israel would do "everything necessary" to stop Hezbollah from regrouping in Lebanon.

"This weekend, the IDF struck in Lebanon, and we will continue to do everything necessary to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing its threat capability against us," Netanyahu said in a cabinet meeting. 

"We will continue to act forcefully to prevent any threat to the residents of the north and to the State of Israel," said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, adding, "Anyone who raises a hand against Israel -- his hand will be cut off."

Israel has carried out near-daily strikes in Lebanon since the November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, usually saying it is striking members of the group in the country's south and east.

(With inputs from AFP)