To explain, I’ll go back to November 16, by which point the top of Israel’s security echelon knew full well that Tabatabai’s days were numbered—between seven and ten, to be exact. And they were right: seven days later, once it became more operationally feasible, the IDF assassinated Hezbollah’s second in command in Beirut (Secretary-General Naim Qassem, Hassan Nasrallah’s replacement, sits at the top of the hierarchy).

At this point, you may be wondering who Tabatabai actually was. Here’s what the Alma Research and Education Center had to say about him. Born in 1968, Tabatabai was “part of Hezbollah’s founding generation, possessing extensive military knowledge and experience gained in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. He commanded the [elite] Radwan Unit, appears on the U.S. wanted list [for $5 million], and has even survived several elimination attempts.” His father, interestingly, is Iranian.

But now that he’s gone, the big question is what next? How will the Shiite terror group respond, if at all? Well, while the IDF is prepared for Hezbollah to hit back, most security officials believe it won’t.