“Abu Ali al-Tabtabai,” the senior Hezbollah operative responsible for building the Houthis’ military power in Yemen on behalf of Iran, was eliminated as part of a settling of accounts with the militia.
Haitham al-Tabtabai, Chief of Staff of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, was the fifth senior Lebanese commander directly involved in the Yemen conflict. In a precision missile strike on Sunday, Israel hit his secret hideout inside a residential apartment in southern Beirut. His influence had grown significantly inside Hezbollah’s leadership after a series of high-level assassinations weakened the organization’s hierarchy.
The strike follows months after the killing of another operative, Ahmad Saeed al-Hajj, who for years served as an operations officer and military adviser to the Houthis during their battles against Yemen’s government forces.
Al-Tabtabai, known as “Abo Ali,” played a central role coordinating Hezbollah’s involvement in Yemen. He oversaw Lebanese operatives deployed in the country and managed Iranian logistical and military support to the Houthis.