Hezbollah’s Top Strategist Tabatabai: Why the U.S. Listed Him Most-Wanted and How Israel Finally Took Him Down

Beirut: Israel carried out a precision airstrike in a densely populated area of ​​Beirut on Sunday. The attack was targeted at Hezbollah's top military commander, Haitham Ali Tabatabai. Israel had been preparing for this operation for many years, and on Sunday it got the opportunity it had been waiting for for a long time. Tabatabai's death is considered a major loss for Hezbollah, as he was considered the most influential military mind within the organization.

Who was Tabatabai, and why was his role important?

Tabatabai was born in 1968 in Beirut. His mother was from southern Lebanon, and his father was Iranian. He joined Hezbollah as a teenager and grew in stature within the organization over time. He was the head of the Radwan Force—the same unit designed to plan and execute attacks against Israel.

America had included him in the list of most wanted terrorists in 2016 and in 2018 had announced a reward of 5 million dollars for information about him. He was not only active in Lebanon but was also responsible for several special military operations in Syria and Yemen.

How long had Israel been looking for him?

Jihad Mughaniya, son of Hezbollah commander Imad Mughaniya, was killed when Israel tried to kill him during an attack in southern Syria in 2015, but he escaped.

As Israel increased pressure on Hezbollah's senior leadership over the past few years, Tabatabai's responsibility increased even more. Cross-border operations, arms supply, and coordination with Iran-backed militias—all these were headed by him since then. For this reason, he had become the most powerful name after Hezbollah's General Secretary Naeem Qasim.

How much damage was caused by the airstrike?

Lebanon's Health Ministry said that five people died and about 25 were injured in the attack. The explosion was so powerful that part of the building that was targeted collapsed, and debris spread in the surrounding residential areas.

Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar claimed that the area was entirely civilian populated and there was no military presence there. However, Israel says that it had entered this area only to eliminate its target.

How does the situation look going forward?

Just hours before the attack, Israel had also taken action on the Lebanese border town of Aita al-Sha'ab, in which one person was killed. Tension has increased further in Lebanon after two consecutive attacks. Experts in the region believe that Hezbollah may try to respond to this attack, which could worsen the situation.

Tabatabai's death is a major strategic victory for Israel, but at the same time there is a fear that the border environment may become more unstable in the coming days.