The strike comes days before Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit the country and as Israeli airstrikes over southern Lebanon have intensified in recent weeks.

Tabataba’i’s death will exacerbate Hezbollah’s debate over how to respond to Israel’s strikes in Lebanon—a conversation the deceased official himself was engaged in. Recently, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem ramped up his rhetoric,

Israel’s prime minister said Hezbollah’s Haytham Tabtabai was leading efforts to rebuild the militant group’s strength.

Israel struck Lebanon’s capital for the first time since June, saying it targeted Hezbollah’s chief of staff and warning the Iran-backed militants to not regroup.

The Valiant Defender Narrative is not about victimhood. It is not about weakness. It is about strength-through-necessity. It is about recognizing that Israel’s ability to survive and thrive depends on valiant defense against forces that are trying to destroy her.

Israeli forces on Sunday struck Lebanon's capital for the first time since June, killing Hezbollah's chief of staff Haytham Tabtabai. The attack on Beirut’s southern suburb, the latest in an unending series of Israeli violations of its ceasefire with the Lebanese group, killed at least five people and injured 25, the country’s health ministry said.

The exercise opened with a surprise test of the IDF's 210th "Bashan" Division's preparedness, according to the military.The post Israel launches drill simulating combat scenarios in the north appeared

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the Israeli regime was forced into a defensive posture midway through the recent 12-day war, adding that Iran had gained dominance over “their land and sky”.