‘Israeli’ government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian says ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the orders for a strike in Beirut which targeted Hezbollah's "chief of staff". pic.twitter.com/gmBWrRqY3e
— Roya News English (@RoyaNewsEnglish) November 24, 2025
Updated November 23, 2025 at 11:59 AM MST
HARET HREIK, Lebanon — Israel on Sunday struck Lebanon’s capital for the first time since June, saying it killed Hezbollah’s chief of staff Haytham Tabtabai and warning the Iran-backed militant group not to rearm and rebuild a year after their latest war.
The strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs killed five people and wounded 25 others, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.
Hezbollah did not immediately comment. Earlier, it said the strike, launched almost exactly a year after a ceasefire ended that Israel-Hezbollah war, threatened an escalation of attacks — just days before Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Lebanon on his first foreign trip.
“We will continue to act forcefully to prevent any threat to the residents of the north and the state of Israel,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. Government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian did not say whether Israel informed close ally the United States before the strike, saying only that “Israel makes decisions independently.” Israel did not issue an evacuation warning.