According to Lebanese and Palestinian security sources, Israel killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri on Tuesday in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, by drone attack. This increases the possibility that the conflict in Gaza might extend well beyond the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Arouri,57, was the first prominent political figure in Hamas to be killed since Israel began a devastating air and military battle against the organization nearly three months ago following its surprise attack on October 7.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 207 Palestinians have died in the last 24 hours alone, increasing the total number of deaths in Gaza’s almost three-month-long conflict to 22,185.
Footage shows the moment when israel fired 3 missiles from a drone in Beirut, assassinating Hamas leader Arouri.
The important aspect here is that the assassination was carried out by air, violating Seyyed Nasrallah’s prior warnings. This won’t go unanswered. https://t.co/w1ALTdrZuL pic.twitter.com/anEz1c0bpZ
— Arya – آریا 🇮🇷 (@AryJeay) January 2, 2024
Since the start of the Gaza War in October, Israel and Lebanon’s heavily armed Hezbollah militia, an ally of Hamas, have been engaging in almost daily gunfire over Lebanon’s southern border. Israel’s monitoring capabilities in the border region have been significantly compromised by Hezbollah attacks, which have also resulted in considerable losses among Israeli personnel.
Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, has threatened Israel with a “severe reaction” if any assassinations are carried out on Lebanese soil.
Hezbollah announced on Tuesday that, in response to Arouri’s death, it had fired missiles against a group of Israeli soldiers near Marj.
🟡 Hezbollah has issued a statement:
We consider the crime of assassinating Sheikh Saleh Al-Arouri and his fellow martyrs in the heart of the southern suburb of Beirut to be a serious assault on Lebanon, its people, its security, sovereignty, and resistance, and the highly… pic.twitter.com/jbhbLO8lD8
— Arya – آریا 🇮🇷 (@AryJeay) January 2, 2024
Although Arouri has long been accused by Israel of carrying out deadly attacks on its civilians, a spokesman from Hamas stated that he was also “at the heart of negotiations” between Qatar and Egypt regarding the resolution of the Gaza conflict and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Although Israel did not confirm or deny carrying out the execution, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the country’s military spokeswoman, stated that Israeli soldiers were highly prepared for any eventuality.
When questioned about the rumors of Arouri’s killing by a reporter, he responded, “The most important thing to say tonight is that we are focused and remain focused on fighting Hamas…”
Arouri was co-founder of the Izz-el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas that Israel had long accused of planning and directing Hamas assaults in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Arouri made reference to Israeli threats to kill Hamas officials whether they were in Gaza or elsewhere when he declared, “I am waiting for martyrdom and I think I have lived too long,” in August 2023.
⚡️WATCH: Al-Quds Brigades published a video showing scenes of its forces targeting IOF military vehicles in the Al-Tuffah & Al-Daraj axis, east of Gaza. pic.twitter.com/3YtJaYP2hY
— Arya – آریا 🇮🇷 (@AryJeay) January 2, 2024
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that Arouri’s murder would “undoubtedly ignite another surge in the veins of resistance and the motivation to fight against the Zionist occupiers, not only in Palestine but also in the region and among all freedom-seekers worldwide.”
Hundreds of Palestinians protested Arouri’s death in the streets of Ramallah and other West Bank towns, shouting, “Revenge, revenge, Qassam!”
Ismail Haniyeh, the supreme leader of Hamas, announced shortly before Arouri’s murder that the movement had responded to a truce proposal from Qatar to Egypt.
He restated the demands of Hamas, which included “a complete cessation” of Israel’s offensive in return for additional prisoner releases.
After some were freed during a brief truce in late November and others were killed during Israeli airstrikes and poorly executed rescue or escape efforts, Israel estimates that 129 prisoners are still in Gaza.
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