The White House addressed the recent Israeli operation in Beirut’s southern suburbs that targeted Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah’s chief of staff, according to international media reports on Tuesday.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing on Monday, “I haven’t spoken with the president about this specific strike, but he certainly supports Israel’s right to defend itself and eliminate any terrorist threats in the region.”
In 2016, the US designated Tabatabai a “terrorist,” describing him as a military commander leading Hezbollah’s special forces in Syria and Yemen, and offered a reward of up to five million dollars for any information leading to his capture.
The Israeli army assassinated Tabatabai, considered the second-in-command of Hezbollah after its Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday.
Following the announcement of Tabatabai’s assassination, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech that “Israel will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its strength. I expect the Lebanese government to act and fulfill its obligations.”
