Hezbollah announced on Nov. 23 the death of senior military commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai, in an Israeli air strike on an apartment complex in the southern suburbs of Beirut. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, 5 people were killed in the strike, and another 28 were wounded. Hezbollah emphasized in its statement that the martyrdom of Tabatabai would further energize resistance fighters and reinforce their determination to continue resisting the Zionist enemy and its backer, the United States, reported Al Mayadeen. The group vowed to carry forward his legacy and that of all martyred commanders.
According to Al Jazeera, Hezbollah is weighing a response to the killing of Tabatabai but has yet to say how. Mahmoud Qmati, vice president of the Hezbollah’s Political Council, said the strike marked “yet another ceasefire violation” and accused Israel of escalating the conflict, “with the green light given by the United States.”
Israel said it assassinated the Hezbollah commander because the group was re-arming and regrouping. While Hezbollah has refused to disarm voluntarily, the Lebanese army has not reported any evidence that Hezbollah has been re-arming.
