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Israel announced on Sunday night that it had killed Hezbollah chief of staff Haitham Tabatabai in an attack in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Five people were killed and 28 others injured in the attack on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital, local authorities said.
This is Israel’s first attack on Beirut since June last year.
Hezbollah earlier said “personnel” from the Israeli Resistance Forces were likely killed in the attack, but did not provide further details.
“The Hezbollah leadership is considering the issue of response and will take the appropriate decision. Today’s attack in the southern suburbs opens the door to an escalation of attacks across Lebanon,” Mahmoud Kamati, vice chairman of Hezbollah’s political council, said from the scene of the attack.
“We will continue to act strongly to prevent any threats to the people of the north and the state of Israel,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Sunday’s attack and accused Israel of refusing to honor a ceasefire agreement. He called on the international community to “strongly and seriously intervene to stop the attacks on Lebanon and its people.”
Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit led by Taberba Baby.
He was considered the successor to Ibrahim Akil, who was killed in September 2024 in an Israeli attack that wiped out much of Hezbollah’s leadership, including longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The Israeli military said he “commanded most of the Hezbollah forces and worked hard to return them to readiness for war with Israel.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said his killing came after repeated ceasefire violations by Hezbollah.