Beirut’s skyline was torn by smoke and sirens on Sunday, November 23, 2025, as Israel struck Lebanon’s capital for the first time in months, killing a senior Hezbollah commander and reigniting fears of a broader conflict in the region. The targeted airstrike, which hit an apartment building in the bustling Haret Hreik neighborhood of southern Beirut—a well-known Hezbollah stronghold—claimed the life of Haytham Ali Tabtabai, the group’s chief of staff, and left at least four others dead. According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, the attack wounded between 25 and 28 people and caused considerable damage to nearby cars and buildings.
The strike, which came almost exactly a year after a US- and France-brokered ceasefire ended the last major war between Israel and Hezbollah, marks a significant escalation in a tense and fragile standoff that has simmered along the Lebanese-Israeli border. As reported by Associated Press, Hezbollah quickly confirmed Tabtabai’s death and issued a warning that the attack could open the door to further violence. Senior Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qamati told journalists at the scene, “The strike on the southern suburbs today opens the door to an escalation of assaults all over Lebanon.” He added that the group’s leadership was carefully considering its response.
For many in Beirut, the attack felt like déjà vu. In the aftermath, the fourth floor of the apartment building was left mangled, gunshots rang out as crowds gathered and emergency workers rushed in, and an Israeli drone was spotted circling overhead. “This is definitely a civilian area and void of any military presence,” insisted Hezbollah parliamentarian Ali Ammar, speaking to reporters amid the chaos. Yet, Israeli officials maintained that the strike was a necessary blow against a group they accuse of rebuilding its military capabilities and threatening Israel’s northern border.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unequivocal in his justification for the operation. As quoted by BBC, Netanyahu declared, “Under my leadership, the State of Israel will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its power, and we will not allow it to once again pose a threat to the State of Israel.” Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed this stance, stating that Israel would “continue to act forcefully to prevent any threat to the residents of the north and the state of Israel.” According to Israeli media, this was the military’s third attempt to eliminate Tabtabai since last year’s conflict.
Tabtabai, born in 1968 in Beirut to a Lebanese mother and an Iranian father, had risen through Hezbollah’s ranks since joining the group at just 12 years old. He was widely seen as the successor to Ibrahim Aqil, another senior commander killed in Israeli attacks in September 2024. The United States had designated Tabtabai a terrorist in 2016, describing him as a key military leader who oversaw Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Unit and directed operations in Syria and Yemen. The US had even offered up to $5 million for information on his whereabouts, citing his role in what it called Hezbollah’s “destabilizing regional activities.”
The timing of the strike was particularly sensitive, coming just days before Pope Leo XIV’s highly anticipated visit to Lebanon—his first foreign trip—and amid a period of heightened Israeli military activity across the border. In recent weeks, Israel has intensified airstrikes over southern Lebanon, and, as Al Jazeera noted, there is growing concern among Lebanese citizens that Israel “will increase its strikes.” The Lebanese government, which has publicly supported disarming Hezbollah, has denied Israeli claims that the group is rearming. President Joseph Aoun condemned Sunday’s strike in a statement, calling on the international community to “intervene with strength and seriousness to stop the attacks on Lebanon and its people.”
Despite the ceasefire, the region has hardly been at peace. According to BBC, the latest round of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah began on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas after the latter’s attacks in southern Israel. The ensuing war was devastating: Lebanese authorities estimate that more than 4,000 people were killed in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, and over 1.2 million were displaced. In Israel, 127 people died—80 of them soldiers. The World Bank estimates that Lebanon suffered $11 billion in destruction during the conflict.
Hezbollah’s position is now fraught with risk. As Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reported from Beirut, “Hezbollah is in a difficult position. It has lost its deterrence capabilities, and without a response, it could invite more Israeli attacks. But if it does respond, it could trigger a bigger Israeli bombardment that could hurt its support base.” Security analyst Ali Rizk added, “I don’t think Hezbollah is ready to give Netanyahu what he wants, meaning to give Netanyahu an excuse to launch an all-out war against Lebanon once again. That could help Netanyahu’s political chances. It could also be very costly.”
The Lebanese government, meanwhile, faces mounting pressure from both Israel and the United States to disarm Hezbollah. In September, Lebanon’s military announced a plan—approved by the government—to disarm the group by the end of the year. Hezbollah, however, has flatly refused to comply while Israel continues its airstrikes and occupies parts of southern Lebanon. The group insists that any discussion about its arsenal must come only after Israel halts its attacks, withdraws from Lebanese territory, and releases Lebanese prisoners. As BBC reported, a Western diplomatic official said the Trump administration is growing impatient with what it sees as slow progress on this front.
Sunday’s attack was not the only recent escalation. On Tuesday, November 18, an Israeli airstrike killed 13 people in the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern city of Sidon—the deadliest such attack since the ceasefire. The Israeli military claimed it targeted a Hamas military facility, though Hamas denied any military presence in the camp.
In a sign of the ongoing turmoil within Israel’s own security establishment, Israeli army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced sanctions against 13 senior army officials for their roles in the failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Several top commanders were censured or forced into retirement, with Zamir citing a “severe, resounding and systemic failure” to protect Israeli citizens.
As the dust settles in Beirut, the question on everyone’s mind is what comes next. Will Hezbollah retaliate and risk a new war? Or will it hold back, wary of the devastating consequences for Lebanon’s already battered population? For now, the only certainty is that the region remains perched on a knife’s edge, with both sides bracing for whatever may follow.
