One-hour window: How Israel says it tracked and killed Hezbollah’s No. 2 in Beirut’s southern suburbs

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Only one hour separated the arrival of intelligence indicating that Haytham Tabtabai was present in Beirut’s southern suburbs and the strike that targeted him there. Israel describes him as Hezbollah’s chief of staff.

With this statement, Tel Aviv highlighted what it said was its intelligence capability to identify and track targets in Lebanon — not only through drones and other intelligence tools, but also through what it described as a Mossad agent who disclosed Tabtabai’s location.

The assassination of Hezbollah’s No. 2 military figure, according to intelligence files, marked a significant shift in Israel’s operations in Lebanon since the ceasefire agreement. 

Israeli officials said Tel Aviv had been monitoring Tabtabai’s movements and gathering information while waiting for the right moment to strike. That moment came on Sunday afternoon.

The operation was carried out by the Israeli air force in coordination with intelligence services, targeting an apartment in Beirut’s southern suburbs with fighter jets and precision-guided munitions.

Before the strike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escalated his threats toward Lebanon and Gaza, as various parties warned that his government was preparing for renewed war.

Netanyahu’s threats followed security assessments that Iran and Hezbollah had strengthened their capabilities, which Israeli officials said required Tel Aviv to “settle the battle” on the Lebanon, Gaza, and Iran fronts.

Israeli security officials said the army would enter this round of fighting without restraints, aiming to end the conflict with maximum force in the shortest possible time.