Who was Haytham Ali Tabatabai, the Hezbollah commander PM Netanyahu called a 'mass murderer with Israeli & American blood on his hands’?

After confirmation that the Israeli airstrike in the Dahiyeh neighborhood of Beirut on Sunday had successfully eliminated Hezbollah’s de facto military commander, Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him “a mass murderer.”

“His hands are soaked in the blood of many Israelis and Americans,” Netanyahu noted. 

Netanyahu also said that Tabatabai had “led Hezbollah’s renewed efforts to rearm,” and warned both Hezbollah and the government of Lebanon that Israel will not tolerate a rebuilding of Hezbollah’s strength. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening:

"A few hours ago, the IDF eliminated Ali Tabatabai, the Chief-of-Staff of the Hezbollah terrorist organization.

Tabatabai is a mass murderer. His hands are soaked in the blood of many Israelis and Americans pic.twitter.com/CqnvdwGzR1

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 23, 2025

“The policy I am leading is absolutely clear: Under my leadership, the State of Israel will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its power, and we will not allow it to pose a threat to Israel again,” Netanyahu stated. “I expect the Government of Lebanon to fulfill its commitment to disarm Hezbollah.” 

Netanyahu also said that only once Hezbollah is disarmed “will every citizen of Lebanon have a better future, and only in this way can peaceful and secure neighborly relations between Israel and Lebanon exist.” 

Shortly after the Israeli strike was reported, the Hezbollah terror organization released official confirmation of Tabatabai’s death, calling him a “great jihadi leader.”

Hezbollah further stated that Tabatabai had followed “a journey full of jihad, truthfulness, sincerity, steadfastness on the path of resistance, and diligent work confronting the Israeli enemy until the last moment of his blessed life.” 

The Shia terror organization also announced the deaths of four other Hezbollah members, killed alongside Tabatabai. 

Hezbollah terrorist organization announced the deaths of its members Qassem Hussein Berjawi, Mustafa Asaad Berro, Rifaat Ahmad Hussein, and Ibrahim Ali Hussein, who were eliminated along with Hezbollah chief of staff Haytham Ali Tabatabai in an IAF 🇮🇱 strike in Beirut, Lebanon 🇱🇧… pic.twitter.com/lszmYl0GWw

— Aleph א (@no_itsmyturn) November 23, 2025

According to a senior Lebanese security source who spoke with media outlets, Tabtabai was born in Lebanon in 1968 to a father with Iranian roots and a Lebanese mother.

While not a founding member of Hezbollah, he was one of the most seasoned commanders from its "second generation,” having fought for Hezbollah alongside allies in Syria and Yemen. 

The IDF described Tabatabai as Hezbollah’s Chief of General Staff, placing him at the heart of the group’s military planning and execution. He is believed to have played a leading role in the development of the organization’s Radwan Force, the elite unit tasked with cross-border operations, which was developing a plan to invade the Galilee.

Under Tabatabai’s leadership, the Radwan Force adopted advanced weaponry and practiced innovative invasion techniques while also aiding Hezbollah allies in Syria during the civil war there. 

In fact, he oversaw the deployment of Hezbollah units in support of forces from the Bashar al-Assad regime in Homs, Aleppo, and the Qalamoun region, gaining valuable combat experience for the Hezbollah units, while strengthening Assad’s grip on those areas. 

In 2016, the United States designated Tabatabai as a terrorist, offering a five-million-dollar reward for information on his location, noting his key role in developing Hezbollah’s fighting forces. Following Operation Northern Arrows, Tabatabai, who maintained a low public profile, was promoted to Chief of Staff. 

Israel had already eliminated most of Hezbollah’s senior leadership during an intensification of fighting with the group that started with Operation “Grim Beeper” in September 204. This was followed by the assassination of Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, and the commencement of ground operations in Lebanon, from October through November 2024. The IDF’s ground operations in Lebanon ceased when a U.S.-brokered truce was agreed upon by Israel and the Lebanese government, which called for the disarmament of southern Lebanon. 

The deputy head of Hezbollah's political council, Mahmoud Qomati, called the killing a “red line” in an interview with Qatari news agency Al Jazeera on Sunday, threatening that if it Tabatabai’s assassination was successful, "all options are open and Hezbollah's military wing, and the organization itself will examine what the appropriate decision is and the organization will make it.” 

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