A drone strike killed a top Hamas leader on Tuesday. Per The Daily Wire, Lebanese state media said that Saleh Arouri was killed alongside several people in the blast officials claim is from an Israeli drone.
AP News reported that the strike that killed him happened in an apartment building in the middle of Beirut’s southern suburbs.
While it has been blamed for the attack, Israel has not claimed responsibility for it, as Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly said that “Whoever did it, it must be clear: That this was not an attack on the Lebanese state.”
“Whoever did this did a surgical strike against the Hamas leadership,” he added.
The drone strike comes amid the war between Israel and Hamas after the terrorist group launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 3, leaving about 1,200 people dead.
Per The Daily Wire, Arouri was second in command of Hamas. A commander of the group in the West Bank, he reportedly founded the military arm of Hamas known as the Qassam Brigades, a group known for its attacks against Israel.
While the aftermath of Arouri’s death is unclear, there are concerns that it might escalate the fighting amid the increasing tensions between IsraelI government and Hezbollah, which is also backed by Iran like Hamas.
Speaking about the implications of Arouri’s death and the placement of responsibility on Israel, Barak Ravid, an Israeli journalist, stated in a tweet to X, “Why it matters: Arouri is the most senior Hamas leader that was killed since the October 7 attack.”
“The assassination which took place in the heart of Beirut very close to Hezbollah’s headquarters could push the Lebanese militia to escalate its attacks against Israel,” the journalist working for Axios and CNN added.
Why it matters: Arouri is the most senior Hamas leader that was killed since the October 7 attack. The assassination which took place in the heart of Beirut very close to Hezbollah’s headquarters could push the Lebanese militia to escalate its attacks against Israel https://t.co/Lxb5enkt7U
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) January 2, 2024
In another post, he wrote, “A senior Israeli official told me Israel is preparing for a significant retaliation by Hezbollah for the Arouri assassination including by launching long range missiles on targets in Israel.”
BREAKING: A senior Israeli official told me Israel is preparing for a significant retaliation by Hezbollah for the Arouri assassination including by launching long range missiles on targets in Israel
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) January 2, 2024
