Hezbollah's Chief of Staff Killed in Beirut Airstrike, Tensions Escalate with Israel
Israel has launched another devastating airstrike on the Lebanese capital, killing at least five people and wounding 28, according to Lebanon's health ministry. The target of the strike was Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah's chief of staff, who was described as a "great commander" by the group.
The airstrike occurred in the southern suburbs of Beirut, an area that is known to be heavily populated and close to the de facto border with Israel. Videos from the scene show damaged buildings and what appears to be extensive destruction.
Hezbollah has confirmed Tabatabai's death, stating that he was killed in a "treacherous Israeli attack" on the Haret Hreik area. The group did not specify his position within Hezbollah, but sources suggest that Tabatabai was one of its most senior military commanders.
Israel has been conducting increasingly frequent airstrikes in southern Lebanon this month, claiming that they are intended to thwart a potential military revival by Hezbollah. The campaign is also designed to pressure the Lebanese authorities and army to disarm the group, which is a key requirement of last year's ceasefire deal.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned his cabinet earlier this week that Israel would continue to fight "terrorism" on several fronts, stating that it would do whatever was necessary to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing its ability to threaten it. After the airstrike, Israel's military insisted that it remained committed to the ceasefire.
However, tensions are escalating rapidly in the region. A senior US official revealed that Israel did not notify Washington in advance about the strike, which has raised concerns among diplomats and observers.
The incident marks a dramatic escalation of violence between Hezbollah and Israel, almost exactly a year after a ceasefire ended 14 months of clashes. The conflict is also closely tied to the relationship between Iran, which supports Hezbollah, and Saudi Arabia, which has been critical of the group's activities.
Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September last year, and by the time of the ceasefire, almost its entire military leadership had been eliminated. However, Tabatabai is believed to have escaped Israel's campaign and continued to lead Hezbollah's special forces in Syria and Yemen.
The incident has sparked outrage across Lebanon, with the president calling on the international community to intervene firmly to stop Israeli attacks on his country. The situation remains volatile, and observers are warning of a potentially catastrophic escalation in violence.
Israel has launched another devastating airstrike on the Lebanese capital, killing at least five people and wounding 28, according to Lebanon's health ministry. The target of the strike was Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah's chief of staff, who was described as a "great commander" by the group.
The airstrike occurred in the southern suburbs of Beirut, an area that is known to be heavily populated and close to the de facto border with Israel. Videos from the scene show damaged buildings and what appears to be extensive destruction.
Hezbollah has confirmed Tabatabai's death, stating that he was killed in a "treacherous Israeli attack" on the Haret Hreik area. The group did not specify his position within Hezbollah, but sources suggest that Tabatabai was one of its most senior military commanders.
Israel has been conducting increasingly frequent airstrikes in southern Lebanon this month, claiming that they are intended to thwart a potential military revival by Hezbollah. The campaign is also designed to pressure the Lebanese authorities and army to disarm the group, which is a key requirement of last year's ceasefire deal.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned his cabinet earlier this week that Israel would continue to fight "terrorism" on several fronts, stating that it would do whatever was necessary to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing its ability to threaten it. After the airstrike, Israel's military insisted that it remained committed to the ceasefire.
However, tensions are escalating rapidly in the region. A senior US official revealed that Israel did not notify Washington in advance about the strike, which has raised concerns among diplomats and observers.
The incident marks a dramatic escalation of violence between Hezbollah and Israel, almost exactly a year after a ceasefire ended 14 months of clashes. The conflict is also closely tied to the relationship between Iran, which supports Hezbollah, and Saudi Arabia, which has been critical of the group's activities.
Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September last year, and by the time of the ceasefire, almost its entire military leadership had been eliminated. However, Tabatabai is believed to have escaped Israel's campaign and continued to lead Hezbollah's special forces in Syria and Yemen.
The incident has sparked outrage across Lebanon, with the president calling on the international community to intervene firmly to stop Israeli attacks on his country. The situation remains volatile, and observers are warning of a potentially catastrophic escalation in violence.
Hezbollah's chief of staff was killed in airstrike & now ppl r gettin outraged across lebanon. whats the point of all these airstrikes tho? dont they know that just causin more tension wont solve anythin? 
this whole situation is super confusing & volatile. someone pls tell me what's goin on 
just saw this news about Hezbollah's chief of staff getting killed in an airstrike... it's like Israel is trying to send a message that they won't back down from fighting 
. The thing is, we can't just ignore the fact that there's been a string of attacks on Hezbollah in the past few months... is Israel trying to send a message or is this just a case of retaliation? 
I think it's gonna be a long and difficult road ahead for everyone involved 
israel what r u even doin?? killing ppl who r trying 2 protect themselves 
tabatabai was like a hero to lebanese ppl and now he's gone? 
it's not right. we need some real action from the intl community rn. why cant they just talk 2 each other instead of resorting 2 violence? 
this airstrike is just the tip of the iceberg, i'm scared for my family & friends 
what's going on with israel and hezbollah?! it's like they're trying to spark another war or something 
and what about syria and yemen?! israel's actions are going to have major ripples 
anyone else thinking this could be a huge catastrophe? 
Israel's just making things worse by not even telling the US about the airstrike... that's just reckless 
. And what really gets me is how everyone's just so caught up in the "terrorism" vs "self-defense" rhetoric 
. And what's with the international community just standing by? 
shouldn't we be pushing for more than just "stopping attacks"? 
i feel bad for all the people affected by it, esp those who lost loved ones 
It's all so complicated 
and now Haytham Ali Tabatabai's dead 
I feel bad for his family 
my heart goes out to the Lebanese people 
. the usa should be talking to both sides, trying to calm things down, but its not looking good atm 
. anyone else feeling the anxiety? 
, and I'm not sure how it's gonna end. One thing's for sure though: it ain't pretty 
anyway, hope everyone stays safe 
. first they kill hassan nasrallah, then they do another airstrike and now haytham tabatabai is dead... does no one want peace in this region anymore? 