Haytham Ali Tabatabai

Haytham Ali Tabatabai (, also known as Abu Ali Tabatabai; 5 November 1968 – 23 November 2025) was a Lebanese militant who was a senior commander in Hezbollah. According to reports, he served as a senior figure in Hezbollah Unit 3800,

On 26 October 2016, the U.S. Department of State designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

Biography Tabatabai was born on 5 November 1968 in Beirut to an Iranian father and a Lebanese mother. He joined Hezbollah in the 1980s, according to the Israel Defense Forces, as part of its "second generation" of fighters. Hezbollah said that he had participated in military operations since the 1990s, conducting "special operations" against the IDF during its occupation of southern Lebanon in 1993 and 1996, likely referring to Israel's Operation Accountability and Operation Grapes of Wrath.

He commanded Hezbollah's operations in Nabatieh between 1996 and 2000, and was a commander of the group's October 2000 cross-border raid into Israel that resulted in the capture and later killing of three soldiers. a unit responsible for training operatives from Shiite militias operating across the Middle East. The unit provides support to relevant groups in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen, and one of its primary missions is to train and assist fighters on the ground. According to reports, before the Gaza war, he was responsible for the Radwan Force's invasion portfolio.

The U.S. United States Department of State designated him on 26 October 2016 as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and offered a reward of up to $5 million for information about him.

According to the Alma Research Center, Tabatabai replaced Ali Karaki as commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front following his assassination. He was one of two prominent survivors of the 2024 Lebanon war, together with Muhammad Haydar, who replaced Fuad Shukr. He was Hezbollah's "second-in-command after Naim Qassem". His extensive military and operational experience contrasted with Haydar, who had a civilian background and lacked operational experience.

A funeral for Tabatabai and two other Hezbollah members killed in the strike was held in Beirut on 24 November, with hundreds of mourners in attendance.

Aftermath In a televised speech on 28 November, Naim Qassem, the secretary general of Hezbollah since October 2024, declared that the killing of Haytham Ali Tabatabai a "blatant aggression and a heinous crime" and stated that Hezbollah has "the right to respond, and we will determine the timing for that."