Hundreds of people gathered in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday to mourn the death of Haytham Ali Tabtabai, Hezbollah's top military commander, and four other fighters. They were killed in an Israeli strike on the city's outskirts the previous day.
The strike marks a rare targeted assassination by Israel since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was agreed in November 2024. This incident has intensified fears of a renewed escalation in hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese group.
During the mass funeral procession, mourners chanted strongly against Israel and the United States. They vowed, "We will not leave our weapons, we will not leave our land!" Top Hezbollah political officials were present, but the presence of military officials was unclear.
Tabtabai, 57, had rapidly risen through the ranks to fill leadership roles after Israel killed the previous leader, Hassan Nasrallah, his successor, and much of the group's former military command during the year of fighting that followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Tabtabai was appointed the group's top military official and served on its Jihad Council.
A Lebanese security source and a Western diplomat suggested that Israel is now focused on targeting Hezbollah's "next generation" of leadership, "peeling them off layer by layer."
Despite the truce, Israel has maintained near-daily strikes on Lebanon, targeting what it claims are Hezbollah arms depots and fighters. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, "Anyone who raises his hand against Israel his hand will be cut off," vowing to continue the policy of "maximum enforcement."
Israeli surveillance drones were reported flying over Beirut, Southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley on Monday. Hezbollah supporters are concerned about Israel's advanced capabilities, with one analyst suggesting Israel might use facial recognition technology/AI on funeral coverage to build its bank of targets.
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