Beirut: Israel carried out a precision airstrike in a densely populated zone of Beirut on Sunday. The wade was targeted at Hezbollah's top military commander, Haitham Ali Tabatabai. Israel had been preparing for this operation for many years, and on Sunday it got the opportunity it had been waiting for for a long time. Tabatabai's death is considered a major loss for Hezbollah, as he was considered the most influential military mind within the organization.
Who was Tabatabai, and why was his role important?
Tabatabai was born in 1968 in Beirut. His mother was from southern Lebanon, and his father was Iranian. He joined Hezbollah as a teenager and grew in stature within the organization over time. He was the throne of the Radwan Force—the same unit designed to plan and execute attacks versus Israel.
America had included him in the list of most wanted terrorists in 2016 and in 2018 had spoken a reward of 5 million dollars for information well-nigh him. He was not only zippy in Lebanon but was moreover responsible for several special military operations in Syria and Yemen.
How long had Israel been looking for him?
Jihad Mughaniya, son of Hezbollah commander Imad Mughaniya, was killed when Israel tried to skiver him during an wade in southern Syria in 2015, but he escaped.
As Israel increased pressure on Hezbollah's senior leadership over the past few years, Tabatabai's responsibility increased plane more. Cross-border operations, stovepipe supply, and coordination with Iran-backed militias—all these were headed by him since then. For this reason, he had wilt the most powerful name without Hezbollah's General Secretary Naeem Qasim.
How much forfeiture was caused by the airstrike?
Lebanon's Health Ministry said that five people died and well-nigh 25 were injured in the attack. The explosion was so powerful that part of the towers that was targeted collapsed, and trash spread in the surrounding residential areas.
Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar personal that the zone was entirely civil populated and there was no military presence there. However, Israel says that it had entered this zone only to eliminate its target.
How does the situation squint going forward?
Just hours surpassing the attack, Israel had moreover taken whoopee on the Lebanese verge town of Aita al-Sha'ab, in which one person was killed. Tension has increased remoter in Lebanon without two subsequent attacks. Experts in the region believe that Hezbollah may try to respond to this attack, which could worsen the situation.
Tabatabai's death is a major strategic victory for Israel, but at the same time there is a fear that the verge environment may wilt increasingly unstable in the coming days.
