Yesterday, Israel killed Hezbollah's chief of staff, Haitham Ali Tabatbay, in a hideout in the heart of the a-Dahiyya neighborhood in Beirut - the organization's main stronghold.
Since the ceasefire in Lebanon began about a year ago, Tabatbay has been engaged in the accelerated rehabilitation of Hezbollah and the rebuilding of its military force. He is the 175th senior commander in the organization to be eliminated since the outbreak of the war more than two years ago.
Senior security sources say that the assassination in the heart of a-Dahiyya effectively eliminates the sense of immunity that Beirut had from Israeli attacks.
Over the past year, Israel has attacked the city only a limited number of times, in an attempt to prevent escalation and allow the Lebanese government to act on its own to disarm Hezbollah. Yesterday's attack, they said, is a clear message to the Lebanese government and Hezbollah: Israel will not accept the arming of the terrorist organization, and Beirut is also a legitimate target.