Maj. “A” (27), a combat pilot and head of the Israel Air Force’s targeted-strike team, revealed in an interview with Walla on Friday how Hezbollah chief of staff Haytham Ali Tabatabai was eliminated in Beirut, saying it was a complex mission requiring lengthy preparations.
Maj. “A” said the team had planned the mission “for a long period,” noting “many cycles, many approvals,” and that he sought sign-offs “dozens of times” from the Israel Air Force commander. He described Tabatabai as the central target, citing the Hezbollah leader’s role in rebuilding the group’s military wing and spearheading a hard line against Israel.
Why Tabatabai was prioritized
“In my view, he is the most obstructive factor in Lebanon right now to reaching an agreement or a better situation in the arena,” Maj. “A” said. “Basically, he was our greatest enemy. We marked him as the main focal point, and his value was the highest.” He added that planners aimed for maximum precision, minimal harm to civilians, and strict deception and secrecy.
He said the exact timing was set only hours before execution, enabled by quality intelligence and a “mistake” by the senior Hezbollah figure when he arrived at a safe house.
“One of the fastest I have seen”
“The day of the strike began like a regular day, until the decisive phone call,” he said, recalling how a call from his intelligence officer sent him “running back downstairs” to activate the system.
The approval chain moved unusually fast, he added, saying, “It was one of the fastest I have seen. Everyone knew the name, everyone knew the target.”
The strike, which occured at 2:43 p.m., targeted two floors in a ten-story building.
“The main dilemma is to align the munitions exactly where we want, without harming the other floors. We struck the fifth and the fourth floors,” he said, adding that each elimination blends deception, ruse, and intimate intelligence fusion.
“The moment I saw the munitions hit the target… I said, 'That’s it, we did it,'” he said. “It is like a dream coming true after working on it for a long time. From the impacts, I knew our planning was one-to-one.” He described a “huge sense of satisfaction and pride in the corps.”
Assessing the impact, he said, “We have now delayed and even stopped a very, very central chain operating under the organization’s force buildup. I say this unequivocally.”
After receiving final confirmation from his intelligence officer, Maj. “A” visited the team “to tell each one how good they were in their role,” before going home.
“I washed the dishes, to return to reality, and then took the dog for a walk.” He added, “This was just another operation by our team. Today I understand how much a small section can influence the entire country.”
Lt. “G,” an officer in the senior-targets cell under Maj. “A,” said, “I have been in the position for one year and nine months… for that day it was, I’ll say in the most innocent and childlike way, crazy but in a good way.” The biggest challenge, she said, is maintaining constant readiness. “We do not know when it will erupt or what will happen. We need to be at maximum good work and be ready.”
Detailing her role, she said the team helps decide “how many munitions I want, how I want to fly, and how to achieve the maximum result,” adding, “In the end, I need to decide what is truly right for my mission.”
Two days later, she finished her role and received her lieutenant’s rank. “It was the best closure I could ask for… an evening of excitement for what happened and a farewell from the section. It was a day with many emotions.”