Talal Hamiyeh has been floated as a potential candidate for Hezbollah’s top military post since then-Chief of Staff Mustafa Badreddine’s assassination on May 12, 2016, and again after the assassination of Badreddine’s successor, Fuad Shukr, on July 30, 2024.

Smoke could be seen in the busy Haret Hreik neighborhood, with one video that circulated on social media showing dozens of people crowded around the area of the strike.

Israel carried out a rare airstrike on Beirut, describing the target as Hezbollah’s military chief, as an almost year-old ceasefire deal with the Lebanese government wavers.

Haytham Ali Tabatabai was key to the group’s efforts to reconstitute its ranks after last year’s war with Israel.