Overview
- The strike hit a residential block in Haret Hreik in south Beirut, with at least five people killed and 28 injured, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
- Hezbollah confirmed the death of senior commander Haytham Ali Tabtabai and denounced what it called a treacherous attack on its Beirut stronghold.
- Israel’s military claimed responsibility, with Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir calling Tabtabai a key veteran operative and saying the aim was to prevent Hezbollah from restoring its capabilities.
- Tabtabai was linked to Hezbollah’s Radwan force and was designated by the U.S. in 2016, which offered up to $5 million for information on him.
- The strike, described as the first openly acknowledged in Beirut since June, raised tensions around a year-old ceasefire as Lebanon’s president and Yemen’s Houthi movement issued condemnations.