Israel kills Hezbollah deputy commander Ali Tabatabai in Beirut strike: IDF
Israel launched a rare airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday, targeting Hezbollah commander Ali Tabtabai. The strike killed five people and injured around two dozen, triggering panic among residents as warplanes roared overhead. Israel says the operation aimed to block Hezbollah's military rebuild.
New Delhi: Israeli forces carried out a precision airstrike in Beirut on Sunday, killing Hezbollah’s deputy commander and key military strategist Ali Tabatabai, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post. The Israel Defense Forces later said it had targeted "a key Hezbollah terrorist” in the Lebanese capital.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the operation was authorised at the top level. "Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu ordered the strike on the recommendation of the Defense Minister and the IDF Chief of Staff,” the office confirmed in a post on X.
The attack reportedly hit a concealed apartment used by Tabatabai in Beirut. Israel also informed the ceasefire oversight committee, consisting of the US, France, Lebanon and the United Nations, that the incident "does not constitute an escalation, unless Hezbollah responds to it,” a source familiar with the matter told the Post.
Conflicting claims emerge
Hezbollah-linked outlet Al Mayadeen reported that at least 25 people were wounded and three killed in the strike. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera, funded by the Qatari state, said Israeli aircraft were also active in the Bekaa Valley in southern Lebanon.
There were conflicting accounts regarding US notification. American officials said Washington was briefed during the operation, despite earlier claims from some Israeli officials that the US had been alerted in advance.
Israel acts independently
Netanyahu rejected talk that Israel needed external approval for such actions. "All the talk that ‘we must receive approvals for this’ from one source or another is simply an absolute lie,” he told the Security Cabinet.
"We operate independently of anyone. Immediate actions to thwart attacks are taken by the IDF automatically,” he added. "As for the responses, that goes through the Defense Minister and eventually reaches me, and we decide independently of any factor, and that is how it should be.”
"Israel is responsible for its own security,” he said.
The strike came a day after Israeli forces hit multiple Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon. The military reported targeting recently identified launchers and additional sites in the Bekaa region, including areas used for weapons storage and militant activity. It said these operations were in response to Hezbollah’s violation of existing security understandings between Israel and Lebanon.
Despite rising tensions, Israel’s Home Front Command has not changed security instructions for civilians.