Iranian Revolutionary Guard vows response after Israel kills Hezbollah military commander

(Patria) - Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) yesterday condemned the Israeli killing of a Hezbollah military commander in Lebanon, threatening a "devastating response" in retaliation, Al Arabiya reported.

Haytham Ali Tabtabai was killed on Sunday in an Israeli strike on the southern Beirut suburb. He is the highest-ranking Hezbollah commander killed by Israel since the November 2024 ceasefire aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities.

In a statement carried by state media, the IRGC said it "strongly condemns this
barbaric crime," adding that Hezbollah and the rest of the "axis of resistance" - Iran and a network of Tehran-backed armed groups - reserve the right to avenge Tabtabai.

The IRGC warned that Israel would face a "devastating response" at a time of its own choosing. Earlier on Monday, Iran's foreign ministry also condemned the attack, calling it a "blatant violation of the November 2024 ceasefire and a brutal violation of Lebanon's national sovereignty".

Israel has repeatedly carried out strikes inside Lebanon since the ceasefire was signed, claiming to target Hezbollah fighters and military infrastructure.

Hezbollah, whose main backer is Iran, has been significantly weakened by its recent conflict with Israel and the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, a key ally of both Tehran and Hezbollah. These setbacks have also directly hit Iran, whose nuclear facilities were targeted by Israeli and American strikes during the twelve-day war earlier this year.