Haytham Ali Tabatabai (1968-2025) Photo courtesy of IRNA.
Haytham Ali Tabatabai, 57, is the most senior Hezbollah commander to be killed by Israel since a November 2024 ceasefire sought to end over a year of hostilities between the two sides.
Tabatabai's assassination comes as Israel has escalated its attacks on Lebanon, with the United States increasing its pressure on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.
Hezbollah called on its supporters to attend the mass funeral for its "great leader" Tabatabai, which will take place in the southern suburbs, a densely populated area where it holds sway.
Civil defense workers inspect the damage after an apartment building was hit during an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh in the southern suburb of Beirut. AP
The Israeli occupation army announced on Sunday that it had killed Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah's chief of general staff.
Hezbollah confirmed the death of Tabatabai and four other members in the attack.
Hezbollah said Tabatabai assumed the role of military leader after the most recent war with Israel.
Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the truce, killing and wounding hundreds since November 2024.
A source close to Hezbollah told AFP on condition of anonymity that there are currently "two opinions within the group -- those who wish to respond to the assassination and those who want to refrain from doing so -- but the leadership tends to adopt the utmost forms of diplomacy at the present stage".
In his condemnation of the Israeli strike on Sunday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed that "the only way to consolidate stability" is through "extending the authority of the state over all its territory with its own forces, and enabling the Lebanese army to carry out its duties".
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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