Israel Strikes Beirut Targeting Hezbollah's No. 2; 5 Killed

Tabatabai, Hezbollah's Second-in-Command, Targeted
Five Killed and 30 Injured

On the 23rd (local time), Israel carried out an airstrike on Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, targeting a key figure of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, resulting in more than 30 people killed or injured.

On the 23rd (local time), residents are passing by damaged vehicles in the Dahieh area of southern Beirut, Lebanon, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike. Photo by AP Yonhap News

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated, "The military conducted an airstrike in central Beirut targeting Hezbollah's chief of staff, who was leading Hezbollah's reconstruction and rearmament efforts." The office also announced that Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the attack based on recommendations from the defense minister and the military chief of staff.

Lebanon's state-run NNA news agency reported that an apartment in the Dahieh suburb in southern Beirut was bombed, and the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that five people were killed and 28 were injured. This marks the first Israeli airstrike on Beirut in five months since June.

Dahieh is a Hezbollah stronghold.

Israeli media outlets, including The Jerusalem Post, reported, citing Israeli officials, that Haitham Ali Tabatabai, regarded as Hezbollah's second-in-command after Secretary-General Naim Qassem, was the target of this airstrike and that his death has been confirmed.

The United States designated Tabatabai as a terrorist in 2016 and offered a reward of 5 million dollars for information on his whereabouts. He previously led Hezbollah's elite "Radwan" unit on missions against Israel and is known to have commanded special forces in regions such as Syria and Yemen.

Earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated at a cabinet meeting, "We are continuing attacks against terrorism on multiple fronts," and added, "We will take all necessary measures to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities to threaten us."

The U.S. online media outlet Axios reported that Israel did not give advance notice to the United States about this airstrike. A senior U.S. government official told Axios that the administration was informed immediately after the attack. However, another senior official said that the United States had known for several days that Israel was planning to expand its operations in Lebanon.