Overview
- Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported five dead and 28 injured after an Israeli strike hit a residential building in Haret Hreik, a densely populated southern suburb of Beirut.
- Hezbollah confirmed Tabtabai’s death and staged a large funeral procession in southern Beirut for him and other members killed in the attack.
- Israeli officials said this was the first strike on Beirut since June and framed it as a preventive operation to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding its military capacity.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted Israel acts without external approval and vowed not to allow Hezbollah to reconstitute its strength, as regional actors including the Houthis condemned the attack and France warned of escalation risks.
- In a parallel development, IDF chief Eyal Zamir announced disciplinary steps over Oct. 7 failures, while Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered a review of the army’s probe and paused senior appointments for 30 days.