By: Fern Sidman – Jewish Voice News

In the aftermath of Israel’s dramatic elimination of senior Hezbollah commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai—a figure long regarded as one of the most lethal operatives in Iran’s regional terror architecture—Washington has signaled its firm backing of Israel’s right to defend itself. As The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) reported on Tuesday, the targeted strike in Beirut, carried out as part of an operation known as “Black Friday,” marked Israel’s first attack in the Lebanese capital since July and represented a clear demonstration of Jerusalem’s willingness to strike at the heart of Hezbollah’s military establishment.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, responding to questions from Israel’s Walla news site, stated on Monday that President Donald Trump “supports Israel’s right to defend itself and to take out terrorist threats in the region.” Leavitt added that she had not spoken directly to the president about the specifics of the assassination, but emphasized that Israel’s actions remain consistent with longstanding U.S. policy backing Israel’s ability to neutralize imminent threats. As the JNS report underscored, the comments reaffirm what has been a central pillar of the Trump administration’s foreign policy: maximal support for Israeli counterterror operations, particularly those targeting Iranian-aligned groups.

The assassination of Haytham Ali Tabatabai—Hezbollah’s so-called “chief of staff”—was not merely a symbolic blow. As the JNS report noted, Tabatabai was one of the most dangerous and operationally significant commanders within Hezbollah’s hierarchy. His role in the terror group extended far beyond Lebanon: he oversaw military deployments in both Syria and Yemen, working directly under Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to organize and train proxy forces that advanced Tehran’s strategic objectives across the Middle East.

Tabatabai’s record is extensive—and bloody. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking after the strike, stressed that the Hezbollah commander was “a mass murderer” with “hands soaked in the blood of many Israelis and Americans.” Netanyahu’s remark was not hyperbole. According to the information provided in the JNS report, Tabatabai played a central role in orchestrating cross-border attacks, training specialized assault units, and overseeing efforts to expand Hezbollah’s precision-guided missile project.

The United States had designated him a global terrorist in October 2016, offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture. That bounty, placed under the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program, reflected Washington’s long-standing recognition of his central role in Hezbollah operations—and his direct threat to U.S. interests.

The covert Israeli operation that killed him, reported by JNS and regional outlets, struck deep into one of Hezbollah’s secure strongholds in Beirut. That the strike succeeded at all suggests extremely sophisticated intelligence collection, likely involving painstaking surveillance over months or even years. The timing—nearly a year after a ceasefire took effect—adds further intrigue, hinting that Israel chose a moment when Hezbollah may have perceived a reduced risk of direct confrontation.

The strike has triggered shockwaves across Lebanon’s political establishment. As the JNS report noted, Hezbollah has remained largely silent publicly, a typical posture when the group is assessing both operational damage and how to construct a narrative that preserves its image of invulnerability. However, leaks from political figures in Beirut suggest the organization was blindsided by the hit.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, for his part, warned that Israel now expects the Lebanese government to uphold its commitment—outlined in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal—to disarm Hezbollah and rein in its military activity. “Jerusalem expects the Lebanese government to uphold its commitments,” Netanyahu said, emphasizing that Hezbollah’s presence as an armed militia remains a violation of both Lebanon’s constitutional order and its international obligations.

These remarks are not merely rhetorical. They place an emphasis on a strategic recalibration in Jerusalem’s approach to Lebanon: a willingness to hold Beirut accountable for Hezbollah’s actions, and an insistence that Lebanon cannot continue to claim political neutrality while allowing an Iranian-backed militia to operate as a parallel army.

However, Lebanese officials have long maintained that they lack the capacity to disarm Hezbollah, widely considered more powerful than Lebanon’s own military. The Tabatabai assassination thus heightens the contradictions inherent in Lebanon’s political system, which enables Hezbollah to act with impunity while Beirut seeks international support.

Tabatabai’s killing is part of a broader pattern of Israeli efforts to degrade Hezbollah’s regional infrastructure. As JNS has documented, Israel has increasingly struck Hezbollah commanders and logistical hubs in Syria, where the terror group has been entrenching itself since the start of the Syrian civil war.

Hezbollah’s collaboration with Iranian forces in Yemen—another arena overseen by Tabatabai—has also drawn heightened attention. U.S. intelligence officials have long warned that Hezbollah’s assistance to the Houthis has transformed the Yemeni rebel group into a more capable and more dangerous Iranian proxy, capable of threatening maritime trade routes and attacking U.S. partners in the Gulf.

Tabatabai’s oversight of these regional operations made him indispensable. Removing him from the battlefield disrupts coordination between Iran’s various proxy forces, at least temporarily. As one counterterrorism expert told JNS.

“Tabatabai was a node. Not just a commander. A node connecting multiple fronts. His death is a blow that reverberates across the region.”

President Trump’s swift expression of support for Israel’s actions aligns with his administration’s broader strategy toward Iran and its proxies. The Trump administration has prioritized aggressive deterrence, viewing Iranian-backed militias not as isolated threats but as components of a global network aimed at destabilizing U.S. allies and constraining American influence.

In this context, the White House sees targeted killings such as Tabatabai’s as legitimate, proportionate, and strategically advantageous. The administration views such operations as essential to maintaining regional stability following the destruction of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure—a development Trump officials have cited as removing Tehran’s most dangerous strategic weapon and shifting the balance of power.

As the JNS report noted, the administration believes that strengthening Israel’s ability to eliminate high-value terrorist targets enhances broader U.S. interests by curbing Iran’s regional ambitions.

Leavitt’s statement—“the president supports Israel’s right to defend itself and to take out terrorist threats”—thus reflects not only an abstract affirmation of Israel’s security but a broader policy framework centered on preemptive action, dismantling command structures, and preventing escalation by demonstrating capability and resolve.

While Israel celebrates a significant operational success and Washington reaffirms its backing, the regional environment remains deeply uncertain.

Hezbollah, weakened but far from incapacitated, may feel compelled to retaliate. As JNS reports, the group faces internal pressure to maintain its image of strength, especially following recent setbacks in Syria and mounting domestic criticism in Lebanon. Yet any overt retaliation risks provoking a broader confrontation that could devastate Lebanon’s fragile economy and infrastructure.

Iran, too, faces a dilemma. The removal of Tabatabai further exposes the vulnerabilities of its proxy networks. Tehran may choose to respond indirectly—perhaps through cyberattacks, drone strikes by allied militias, or maritime provocations—rather than risk direct confrontation.

Israel, aware of these dynamics, remains on high alert. Defense officials speaking to JNS said they expect Hezbollah to respond “asymmetrically,” possibly through covert attacks abroad or limited rocket fire designed to avoid all-out war.

The operation that eliminated Haytham Ali Tabatabai marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah—and in the broader struggle against Iranian expansionism. It sends a message of deterrence not only to Hezbollah but to every arm of Tehran’s proxy network.

The reaction from Washington, as conveyed through Karoline Leavitt’s comments, reaffirms the United States’ strategic commitment to Israel at a time when regional tensions remain high and the threats facing the Jewish state continue to evolve.

As the JNS report observed, the consequences of this assassination will reverberate through Beirut, Tehran, Jerusalem, and Washington alike. For Israel, it is a tactical victory. For Hezbollah, it is a strategic setback. For the United States, it is a reaffirmation of policy.

And for the Middle East, it is yet another sign that the struggle for regional influence is far from over—and that its most decisive battles are often fought far from public view, deep within the shadows where intelligence, deterrence, and geopolitics conv