Who was Haytham Ali Tabatabai? Top Hezbollah commander killed in IDF airstrike on Beirut

In an X post, the IDF said, “Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah’s Chief of General Staff, in the Beirut area.”

The IDF described Tabatabai as a “veteran operative” since the 1980s who commanded the Radwan Force and led Hezbollah operations in Syria.

He was said to have strengthened Hezbollah’s operational and combat capabilities.

“During the war and after Operation ‘Northern Arrows,’ he was responsible for managing combat against Israel and rebuilding Hezbollah’s readiness for future operations. Following the end of the war, he was appointed as Hezbollah’s Chief of General Staff,” the IDF said.

The military said Tabatabai played a key role in expanding Hezbollah’s operational and military capacities, developing the Radwan Unit, and serving as a significant source of knowledge and influence within the organization.

Hezbollah called the killing “a treacherous Israeli attack” on the Haret Hreik neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs, according to a statement Sunday, quoted by CNN.

According to media reports, the airstrike left five people dead and 28 others injured.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Tabatabai as a “mass murderer.”

"A few hours ago, the IDF eliminated Ali Tabatabai, the Chief-of-Staff of the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” Netanyahu said, confirming his death.

He added, “Tabatabai is a mass murderer. His hands are soaked in the blood of many Israelis and Americans.”

Netanyahu’s office said he ordered the strike on the recommendation of the Defense Minister and the IDF Chief-of-Staff.

The U.S. Department of State had designated Tabatabai a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 on October 26, 2016, and offered up to $5 million for information about him.