An Israeli drone strike in Beirut claims the life of Deputy Hamas chief.
An Israeli drone targeted and killed Saleh al-Arouri, Deputy Hamas chief, in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday night. The strike occurred in Dahiyeh, a stronghold of the allied Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. This event suggests a potential expansion of the conflict between Hamas and Israel across the region. The Israeli military declined to confirm responsibility, and Lebanon’s national news agency reported that the drone struck a Hamas office during a meeting with Lebanon’s Sunni Islamist Jama’a Islamiya faction, resulting in four Palestinians and three Lebanese casualties. This marks the first targeted assassination of a Hamas official outside Palestinian
Territories since the group’s assault on Israeli territory on Oct. 7. Various reactions have ensued, with Hamas confirming Arouri’s killing, denouncing it as a terrorist act and a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty. Islamic Jihad vowed revenge, while Iran expressed that the incident would strengthen the fight against Israel. In response to the attack, Hezbollah stated it would not go without a response or punishment, announcing an attack on Israeli forces without specifying if it was in direct response to Arouri’s killing. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister condemned the strike as a new Israeli crime, accusing it of attempting to drag Lebanon into war.
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is scheduled to address the situation on Wednesday, commemorating the fourth anniversary of the killing of Iranian Quds Force chief Qassem Suleimani. Hezbollah, in control of security in Dahiyeh, warned Israel against assassinations on Lebanese soil, pledging a severe reaction. The violence between Hezbollah and Israel has primarily been along the Lebanon-Israel border since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Israeli air strikes and shelling in response to that attack have resulted in over 100 Hezbollah fighters’ deaths, nearly two dozen civilian casualties, and ongoing conflict in Gaza. Israel claims that 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage in the Oct. 7 attack, leading to a three-month offensive in Hamas-run Gaza with a reported death toll exceeding 22,000.