Who is Al-Tabtabai, Whose Assassination Israel Announced in Beirut?

In a new violation of the ceasefire agreement signed about a year ago, and in a notable escalation, Israel launched an attack today, Sunday, on the southern suburbs of Beirut, claiming it targeted the Chief of Staff of Hezbollah, Haitham Ali Al-Tabtabai, also known as "Abu Ali Al-Tabtabai."

Immediately following the raid, the Israeli army stated via the "X" platform that its forces "targeted a key saboteur in the Hezbollah organization in Beirut," without revealing his name, but the army radio reported that the attack was directed at "Abu Ali Al-Tabtabai, the commander of the military wing of Hezbollah."

Later, the army stated in a statement that it "eliminated Haitham Ali Al-Tabtabai, the Chief of Staff of Hezbollah, in a raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut."

Other Hebrew media reported that the attack "targeted the second-in-command of Hezbollah, Abu Ali Al-Tabtabai," while the Israeli Broadcasting Authority indicated that "Israel informed the United States about the attack on the suburbs before it was carried out," referring to coordination between the two parties.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a statement issued by his office that he ordered "a raid on Beirut targeting the Chief of Staff of Hezbollah," without naming him, claiming that he "was leading the operation to build the capabilities of the terrorist organization and rearm it."

In contrast, the Lebanese Ministry of Health stated in a statement that the raid resulted in a final toll of 5 dead and 28 others injured, but did not disclose their names or any further details about them, nor did it mention Al-Tabtabai in its statement.

Hezbollah, for its part, indicated in its comment on the raid through one of its leaders that it targeted a "key" military figure, but did not announce the name of the figure or their fate.

Mouhamad Qamati, the Deputy Head of the Political Council in Hezbollah, stated in remarks to journalists while inspecting the site of the raid that targeted a building in the town of Haret Hreik in the southern suburbs, the party's stronghold, that the raid targeted a "key" military figure, indicating that the party's leadership would study how to respond.

Regarding the targeted figure, Qamati pointed out that they are a "key jihadist (military) figure targeted in the aggression, and we will announce the name later, and the results are still unknown."

In response to the raid, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun considered, according to a statement from the presidency, that Israel's targeting of the southern suburbs of Beirut is "another proof that it does not care about repeated calls to stop its aggressions," without details about the targets.

Al-Tabtabai was born in 1968, his father is Iranian and his mother is Lebanese. He was born and raised in southern Lebanon before joining Hezbollah in his youth, but his name first appeared in the media in 2015 after he survived an Israeli assassination attempt in the border city of Quneitra, Syria, according to Lebanese media.

On October 26, 2016, the U.S. Department of State designated Haitham Ali Al-Tabtabai as a "global terrorist" and offered a reward of up to $5 million for information about Al-Tabtabai, who is considered a prominent military leader in Hezbollah and led the party's elite forces in both Syria and Yemen, according to what the State Department mentioned at the time.

According to the U.S. State Department, "Al-Tabtabai's roles in these two countries (Yemen and Syria) are part of broader efforts by the party that include providing training, equipment, and personnel to support its destabilizing activities in the region."

According to the Israeli army's statement, "Al-Tabtabai was a central figure in Hezbollah, having joined its ranks in the 1980s and held a series of leadership positions, including commander of the Radwan Unit, and was a prominent figure in its development... he also worked to enhance Hezbollah's capabilities."

Israeli reports indicate that Al-Tabtabai's role within Hezbollah significantly increased during 2024 and 2025, following the assassinations that targeted the first and second leadership ranks of the party during the recent Israeli war.

Since last October, the Israeli occupation army has intensified its attacks on Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire agreement signed in November 2024, with media leaks about plans to launch a new attack on the Arab country.

The ceasefire agreement ended an aggression that Israel began against Lebanon in October 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024, resulting in the martyrdom of more than 4,000 people and the injury of about 17,000 others.

During this war, Israel occupied 5 Lebanese hills in the south, and the agreement stipulated that it would withdraw from them after 60 days, but it did not comply, while it continues to occupy other Lebanese areas for decades.