Hezbollah will hold funeral services today for prominent military commander Haytham al-Tabatabai, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Sunday. The strike targeted a residential building in Haret Hreik, a suburb in southern Beirut.
The Israeli army radio announced a state of “heightened readiness” in northern Israel following the assassination. Hezbollah has called on its supporters to participate in the funeral procession for al-Tabatabai, as well as two other fighters who died in the same strike.
Hezbollah released statements on Sunday confirming the deaths of four of its fighters in the Israeli attack that targeted al-Tabatabai in the southern Beirut suburb. A Lebanese security source confirmed that al-Tabatabai was the top Hezbollah military commander, succeeding Fouad Shukr, who was assassinated last year.
The assassination marks a significant escalation in Israeli attacks, as the southern Beirut suburb has not been targeted since June. Furthermore, a leader of this level has not been targeted since the ceasefire.
Following the assassination, Mahmoud Qamati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council, stated that all options are open in response to Israel’s targeting of this key figure. Qamati previously stated that the party will discuss the matter and make an appropriate decision.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on the international community to take responsibility and intervene strongly and seriously to stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon and its people, in order to prevent any deterioration that would restore tension to the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Haytham Ali al-Tabatabai, the Hezbollah leader who was killed, was leading Hezbollah’s efforts to rearm itself, stressing that Israel will not allow the party to pose a threat to its security.
Al-Tabatabai was born in 1968, his father is Iranian and his mother is Lebanese. He grew up in southern Lebanon before joining Hezbollah as a young man. His name first appeared in the media in 2015 after surviving an Israeli assassination attempt in the Syrian city of Quneitra, near the Golan Heights.
