IDF bombs Beirut, targets Hezbollah chief of staff

US reportedly gave Israel green light to carry out airstrike in Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut in attempt to assassinate terror group’s chief of staff.

By World Israel News Staff

The Israeli Air Force carried out an airstrike on a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut Sunday afternoon, in an apparent assassination attempt targeting one of the Shiite terror group’s top commanders.

A precision strike hit an apartment building in the Dahieh quarter of Beirut, a predominantly Shiite Muslim neighborhood where Hezbollah has long maintained its headquarters.

Shortly afterward, the Israeli military confirmed that it had carried out the strike, without offering details regarding the target.

“A short while ago, the IDF carried out a targeted strike in Beirut against a senior operative in the Hezbollah terror organization,” the IDF said.

Israeli airstrikes north of the Litani River have become relatively rare since the signing of the November 2024 ceasefire, under which the IDF is obligated to seek approval for such strikes from an international committee led by the US.

The last time Israel bombed Hezbollah positions in Beirut was in July, in a precision strike targeting the terror group’s infrastructure.

Reports from Lebanon indicate that the apartment struck by the missile belongs to Haytham ‘Ali Tabataba’i, a deputy chief of the terror group who previously led its elite Radwan Force.

Tabataba’i has headed Hezbollah’s operations on the Israeli front since the assassination of Ali Karaki last September. He has also been responsible for maintaining Hezbollah’s ties to other Iranian-backed Islamist terror groups, including the Houthis.

It is unclear at this time whether the strike was successful in eliminating Tabataba’i.

An Israeli official who spoke with Israel Hayom said that the US was informed of the attack before it was carried out.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strike following consultations with Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement Sunday afternoon.

“A short while ago, the IDF struck in the heart of Beirut, targeting Hezbollah’s Chief of Staff, who led the terror organization’s buildup and armament efforts.”

“Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the strike on the recommendation of the Defense Minister and the IDF Chief of Staff. Israel is determined to pursue its objectives anywhere and at any time.”