New American data reveals the background of the southern suburbs attack news

Israel raised the level of tension after an air strike on Sunday targeted a prominent Hezbollah military leader in the southern suburb of Beirut, in an attack that brought to the fore fears of the return of the specter of war between the two sides.

In this context, informed American sources revealed to Al Jazeera new data related to the Israeli strike that targeted Haitham Al-Tabtabai, and circles in Hezbollah described it as “a dangerous aggression and violation of a new red line.”

Fadi Mansour, Al Jazeera’s correspondent at the US Defense Department (Pentagon), quoted an American official who described him as “well-informed about military communications between Washington and Tel Aviv” that Israel had informed the United States in advance about carrying out the strike.

But this official declined to confirm whether Washington had received details about the identity of the target or given a direct “green light” for the operation.

In this context, Israeli media quoted sources as saying that the target in the Southern Suburbs operation was Haitham al-Tabtabai (known as Abu Ali al-Tabtabai), describing him as the acting chief of staff of Hezbollah and the second person in the party, and one of its oldest military commanders.

In turn, a Lebanese security source reported to Al Jazeera that Hezbollah military commander Haitham Al-Tabtabai was assassinated in the Israeli raid on the suburb.

In light of these developments, the American official placed the attack within the framework of a “continuous escalation” adopted by Israel over the past weeks.

Fragile situation

According to the source, Washington believes that the situation between Israel and Lebanon is “very fragile,” and that Israel’s increase in the level of its operations is due to two basic considerations: The first relates to the ability of the Lebanese army, which is “making great efforts” to complete the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, but – according to the American assessment – it lacks “sufficient capabilities and political authorization,” which makes those efforts “insufficient.”

The second consideration is related to American and Israeli estimates that Hezbollah’s capabilities have not declined since the end of the war, as the party was able to rebuild its capabilities and its stock of weapons that it lost during the war.

These developments – according to the same official – raise Israeli fears that any ceasefire will hold.

Since last October, the Israeli occupation army has intensified its attacks on Lebanon, with continued media leaks about plans to launch a new attack on it.

Since signing the last ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah on November 27, 2024, Israel has violated the agreement daily, leaving hundreds dead and wounded.

As for the five-year ceasefire monitoring mechanism (mechanism), the American official pointed out that Israel used to pass information through this mechanism – in which the United States participates – related to sites suspected of belonging to Hezbollah, and when the Lebanese army did not move, “Israel resorts to carrying out direct strikes,” and sometimes “without prior warning.”

On the other hand, Washington is working – according to the American official – to activate the joint mechanism and the five-member committee that includes Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France, and the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), with the aim of “preventing a slide towards a broad confrontation.”

The United States pushed for the intensification of the committee’s meetings to be held every two weeks due to the “sensitivity of the field situation,” according to the American official.

In Hezbollah’s first response to the strike, Political Council member Mahmoud Qamati said, “The Israeli aggression targeted a jihadist figure,” and that the party is working to verify her identity.

Qamati described the operation as “aggression and a violation of a new red line,” stressing that “the resistance is the one that decides how to respond,” in full coordination with the state and the Lebanese army, he said.