IDF strike targets ‘key Hezbollah terrorist’ in Beirut

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday afternoon carried out a precision airstrike targeting a “key Hezbollah terrorist” in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, the military said.

The strike in the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahiyeh in the southern part of the Lebanese capital targeted Haytham ‘Ali Tabataba’i, Hezbollah’s No. 2 and the terror group’s de facto “chief of staff,” according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.

The United States has set a reward of up to $5 million for intelligence leading to ‘Ali Tabataba’i’s capture, after designating him as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in October 2016 for commanding the terrorist organization’s operations in Syria and Yemen.

On Nov. 26, 2024, Jerusalem and Beirut signed a ceasefire deal aimed at ending more than a year of cross-border fighting between the IDF and Hezbollah. The Iranian-backed terrorists began attacking the Jewish state in support of Hamas in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

Since the truce, the IDF has conducted frequent raids to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding its infrastructure in Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem hours before the reported strike on Sunday, said that the Jewish state was “continuing to strike terrorism on several fronts.”

“This weekend, the IDF struck in Lebanon, and we will continue to do everything necessary to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing its threat capability against us,” the premier told reporters.

© JNS