Haytham Ali Tabatabai
Haytham Ali Tabatabai | |
|---|---|
| Native name | هيثم علي طبطبائي |
| Nickname | Abu Ali Tabatabai |
| Born | 1968 Beirut, Lebanon |
| Died | 23 November 2025 (aged 56–57) Beirut, Lebanon |
| Cause of death | Assassination by airstrike |
| Allegiance |  Lebanon |
| Branch |  Hezbollah |
| Rank | Chief of staff (described as number 2 after Naim Qassem) |
| Commands |
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| Part of a series on |
| Hezbollah |
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Haytham Ali Tabatabai (Arabic: هيثم علي طبطبائي, also known as Abu Ali Tabatabai; 1968 – 23 November 2025) was a Lebanese Hezbollah senior commander. According to reports, he served as a senior figure in Hezbollah Unit 3800,[1] which has been involved in Hezbollah's activities in countries such as Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. He previously served as commander of the Radwan Force, Hezbollah's elite special forces unit.[2]
On 26 October 2016, the U.S. Department of State designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.[1]
Biography
Tabatabai was born in 1968 in Beirut to an Iranian father and a Lebanese mother. He joined Hezbollah in the 1980s, according to the Israel Defense Forces, as part of its "second generation" of fighters.[3]
According to reports, Tabatabai served as a senior officer in Hezbollah Unit 3800 within Hezbollah,[4] a unit responsible for training operatives from Shiite militias operating across the Middle East. The unit provides support to relevant groups in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen, and one of its primary missions is to train and assist fighters on the ground. According to reports, before the Gaza war, he was responsible for the Radwan Force's invasion portfolio.[5]
The U.S. United States Department of State designated him on 26 October 2016 as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and offered a reward of up to $5 million for information about him.[6][1]
According to the Alma Research Center, Tabatabai replaced Ali Karaki as commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front following his assassination. He was one of two prominent survivors of the 2024 Lebanon war, together with Muhammad Haydar, who replaced Fuad Shukr.[5] He served as the chief of Hezbollah's operations unit during the war, rising in ranks as other senior leaders were assassinated by Israel. During the 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement, he became Hezbollah's chief of staff and worked to restore the group's readiness for a new war.[7][3] He was Hezbollah's "second-in-command after Naim Qassem". His extensive military and operational experience contrasted with Haydar, who had a civilian background and lacked operational experience.[5]
Assassination
On 23 November 2025, five Hezbollah members were killed and 28 others were injured in an Israeli strike on the fourth floor of an apartment building in Beirut's Haret Hreik neighborhood. Hezbollah later confirmed that Tabatabai had been assassinated in the attack.[8]
References
- ^ a b c "Haytham 'Ali Tabataba'i – Rewards For Justice". rewardsforjustice.net. Archived from the original on 30 April 2025. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ "What is the Radwan force, Hezbollah's elite unit on the Israeli border?". The Washington Post. 15 February 2024. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Who was Tabtabai, Hezbollah's military leader killed by Israel?". Reuters. 23 November 2025.
- ^ "שקט מדומה: כך צמח ארגון הטרור הרצחני בצפון". mako (in Hebrew). 29 February 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ a b c Beeri, Tal (2 March 2025). "Is There Tension in Hezbollah's Current Military Leadership? How Did this Leadership Survive the War?". Alma Research and Education Center. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ "USA: $5 million reward for information on 2 senior Hezbollah operatives". Nziv.net. 21 October 2020.
- ^ "Who was Hezbollah military leader Haytham Ali Tabatabai?". The Jerusalem Post. 23 November 2025. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ "Israel kills top Hezbollah commander in attack on Lebanon's capital". Al Jazeera. 23 November 2025.
- 1968 births
- 2025 deaths
- People from Beirut
- Assassinated Hezbollah members
- Deaths by Israeli airstrikes
- People killed by Israeli security forces
- People of the Lebanese Civil War
- Targeted killing by Israel
- Military personnel killed in the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)
- Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government
- 20th-century Lebanese people
- 21st-century Lebanese people
- Lebanese people of Iranian descent