Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
🌲 – 🌟 Assessment of Haitham Ali al-Tabtabaei’s significance:
Israel’s elimination of Haitham Ali al-Tabtabaei is one of the most severe blows (if not the most) to Hezbollah since the ceasefire, removing the group’s most dangerous military commander after Nasrallah, Aqil, and Shukr, and by some assessments even more consequential than Shukr. His experience made him the de facto military leader.
His return from Syria after Nasrallah’s assassination in 2024 placed him, together with Mohammed Haydar, in charge of rebuilding Hezbollah’s damaged military infrastructure. Yet it was Tabtabaei who had the proven track record and operational authority.
Earlier, Tabtabaei served as commander of Hezbollah forces in Syria, helping keep the Assad regime afloat for years. He also oversaw numerous attacks against Israeli forces in recent years. He was the founder of Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces, the force meant to storm northern Israel under the original October 7 plan, a blueprint later copied by Yahya Sinwar.
At the start of the war, Tabtabaei was already considered among Hezbollah’s top three or four most dangerous battlefield commanders, surviving multiple Israeli assassination attempts before this one succeeded.