Rescuers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli air attack that targeted a residential building in Beirut’s southern suburbs Haret Hreik neighborhood on November 23, 2025. Israeli prime minister gave the orders for a strike in Beirut. AFP
The Israeli Air Force has strengthened air-defence systems in the country’s north to counter potential rocket fire from Lebanon and has raised overall readiness, military sources told The Times of Israel.
The military also announced on Monday the start of General Staff–level exercises to prepare for a “state of war.”
The Israeli site Walla reported that large-scale training drills are underway along the northern border with Lebanon and in the occupied Golan Heights.
This follows a tense escalation after Israel killed Tabtabai in an airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, which also killed five others and wounded 28.
In a statement on Sunday, Hezbollah described Tabtabai as “the great commander,” saying he was killed in “a treacherous Israeli attack on the Haret Hreik area.”
Tabtabai is the highest-ranking Hezbollah commander killed by Israel since the November 2024 ceasefire that aimed to end over a year of fighting between the two sides.
After the attack, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for immediate international action to stop Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon.
Despite the truce, Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon, killing over 330 people and wounding 945, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
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