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Hezbollah chief says group will decide timing of response to Israel's killing of Tabtabai

AL-Monitor
Nov 28, 2025
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Chief Naim Qassem gives a televised speech from an unknown location, July 30, 2025 in this screen grab from video. Al Manar TV/REUTERS TV/via REUTERS
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Chief Naim Qassem gives a televised speech from an unknown location, July 30, 2025 in this screen grab from video. Al Manar TV/REUTERS TV/via REUTERS — AL MANAR TV

BEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said on Friday the group has the right to respond to Israel's killing of senior commander Haytham Ali Tabtabai and will "set the timing" for any retaliation.

In a televised speech, Qassem described the Israeli strike that killed Tabtabai and several others as "a blatant aggression."

(Reporting by Maya and Gebeily and Enas Alashray; Editing by William Maclean)