Who was Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah leader killed by Israel? | Israel attacks Lebanon

Israel attacked the Haret Hreik area in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, killing five people, including Hezbollah’s top military official.

Sunday’s attack, which came amid a surge in Israeli attacks across Lebanon, was the first in Beirut’s southern suburbs in several months and the first without warning since last year’s ceasefire announcement between Israel and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah Chief of Staff Haytham Ali Tabatabai, also known as Sayyid Abu Ali, was among those targeted and killed. It was the third assassination attempt, according to Israeli media, which reported that the previous two attempts took place during last year’s war with Israel, which resulted in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November 2024.

Israel has since been accused of violating this ceasefire almost daily by United Nations experts. Hezbollah responded once to Israel’s continued attacks, in December.

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Before the attack, Tabatabai’s name was not widely known in Lebanon. Hezbollah soldiers tend to work in the shadows to avoid Israeli assassinations.

But since his death on Sunday, it has been revealed that Tabatabai held numerous leadership positions within the armed political group during his tenure.

He was born in 1968 in Bashoura, a district of Beirut, to Lebanese parents, although his father is said to have Iranian roots. He grew up in southern Lebanon and is believed to have joined Hezbollah in the 1980s.

In its official statement, Hezbollah said Tabatabai had been part of the group since its creation in 1982 as a resistance movement against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. In the post-war period, Hezbollah became Lebanon’s most powerful political party and military force, serving in the Lebanese Parliament and having ministers in several governments.

Tabatabai was a senior Hezbollah military official with extensive military experience. He reportedly participated in a number of field operations in Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon and led Hezbollah’s Nabatieh axis, or command zone, from 1996 until Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.

According to Hezbollah, Tabatabai then led the Khiam axis from 2000 to 2008 and was in command during the July 2006 war, which saw Israel and Hezbollah fight to a draw after 34 days. The group also said Tabatabai participated in the creation of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force.

He later was responsible for Hezbollah’s operations along the border with Syria and assumed responsibility for the operations branch during last year’s war with Israel.

According to Israeli media, Tabatabai led Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force in Syria and Yemen before replacing Ali Karaki, who was assassinated in last year’s war, as commander of Hezbollah’s southern front.

He was named Hezbollah’s chief of staff after the war, in which most of Hezbollah’s senior military leaders were killed by Israel.

“Tabatabai was the one who reorganized Hezbollah’s military leadership, and the targeting of the southern suburbs of Beirut is an indication that the Lebanese state has no guarantee against the expansion of such attacks,” Sohaib Jawhar, a non-resident researcher at the Beirut-based Badil, the Institute for Alternative Politics, told Al Jazeera.

What did Hezbollah say about his death?

In its statement, Hezbollah confirmed the loss of the “great martyred jihadist commander” known as Sayyid Abu Ali and called Israel’s assassination a “treacherous attack on the Haret Hreik neighborhood in the suburbs of Beirut.”

Mahmoud Qmati, vice-president of the group’s Political Council, deplored “yet another violation of the ceasefire” and accused Israel of intensifying the conflict “with the green light given by the United States”.

Hezbollah released a video compilation showing footage of Tabatabai operating on the ground.

He also gave the dates of four other Hezbollah members: Qassem Hussein Berjawi, Refat Ahmad Hussein, Mostfa Asard Berro and Ibrahim Ali Hussein.

Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar accused Israel of once again violating the ceasefire.

“Every attack against Lebanon is a crossing of a red line, and this aggression is inherent to the entity which targets the dignity, sovereignty and security of its Lebanese citizens,” he said.

What did the Lebanese state say?

Just two days before the attack, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced his government’s intention to begin peace negotiations with Israel with the support of the international community.

However, after Sunday’s attack, Aoun called on the international community to intervene to stop Israeli attacks against his country.

Frustration has grown in parts of Lebanon as some residents believe the government is not properly equipped or willing to respond to Israel’s repeated aggressions. Many residents of southern Lebanon have expressed a sense of abandonment by the Lebanese government, unable to prevent repeated Israeli attacks or rebuild destroyed homes.

What did Israel say?

After Sunday’s strike, Israel said it “remains committed to the agreements agreed between the State of Israel and Lebanon,” likely referring to the existing ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike was ordered following recommendations from the defense minister and the Israeli army chief of staff, and he justified it by accusing Tabatabai of posing a threat to Israeli security.

The Israeli military released a statement saying: “Tabatabai commanded most of Hezbollah’s units and worked intensively to return them to readiness for war with Israel. [Israeli military] will act against Hezbollah’s attempts to rebuild and rearma and will act forcefully to eliminate any threat to Israel.

Did the United States know about the attack in advance?

According to US news site Axios, US officials knew an “escalation” was expected but were not briefed on the details of this particular strike. An official told Axios that the United States was informed by the Israeli government directly after the strike.

What is happening now?

Qmati said the Israeli strike had crossed a “red line” and the group’s leaders would now consider whether a response was warranted.

“Today’s strike in the southern suburbs opens the door to an escalation of attacks throughout Lebanon,” he said.