White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stressed on Monday that President Donald Trump supports Israel’s right to defend itself, in the wake of Israel’s elimination of Hezbollah’s Chief of Staff in a strike in Beirut on Sunday.

During a conversation with reporters, Leavitt was asked by Walla News’ US correspondent Idan Kweller whether Trump supports Israel’s elimination of the Hezbollah Chief of Staff and whether he is in favor of Israel blocking Hezbollah from growing again.

“I haven’t spoken to the President about that strike specifically, but of course the President supports Israel’s right to defend itself and to take out any terrorist threats,” she replied.

The IDF confirmed on Sunday that, guided by the Intelligence Directorate, it struck in the area of Beirut and eliminated the terrorist Haytham Ali Tabataba'i, Hezbollah’s Chief of General Staff.

Tabataba'i was a veteran in the Hezbollah terrorist organization. He joined its ranks in the 1980s and has since held a series of senior positions, including commanding the “Radwan Force” Unit and serving as the head of Hezbollah’s operations in Syria. During his role in Syria, he further entrenched Hezbollah’s capabilities in Syria.

During the war, he was appointed commander of the organization’s operations array and was responsible for consolidating the operational picture and force build-up. During Operation “Northern Arrows,” after most of the military leadership was neutralized, he was effectively responsible for managing the combat against Israel.

The elimination came as tensions remain high a year into a US- and French-backed ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel accuses Beirut of failing to uphold its obligation to disarm Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist organization by the US.

Israel has struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon as the terrorist organization continues to rebuild its military infrastructure and maintain an armed presence near Israel’s northern border.

Lebanon’s cabinet recently tasked the army with formulating a plan for disarming Hezbollah by the end of 2025.

The terrorist group’s leader, Naim Qassem, condemned the Lebanese government's plan to disarm the terror organization. He has repeatedly vowed that Hezbollah would keep its arms.