Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, an organization supported by Iran, had previously threatened retaliation should Israel target Palestinian officials within the country.
Saleh al Arouri, a senior Hamas official, was reportedly killed in an explosion in Beirut, with the organization attributing the “cowardly assassination” to Israel.
Al Arouri was the deputy leader of the Hamas political bureau and one of the organization’s founding members of the military branch. Additionally, he oversaw Hamas’s operations in the West Bank.
According to the state-run National News Agency of Lebanon, an Israeli drone was responsible for the explosion in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, which claimed the lives of four persons.
Izzat al Rishq, a member of the Hamas political secretariat, stated that Israel murdered Al Arouri in a “cowardly assassination.” He added that such attacks “will not succeed in undermining the steadfastness and determination of our people or the continuation of their valiant resistance.”
He further stated, “This once again demonstrates this adversary’s abject failure to accomplish any of its aggressive objectives in the Gaza Strip.”
Hezbollah Denounces Assassination
Hezbollah described the explosion that killed al Arouri as a “serious assault on Lebanon.” Additionally, the militant organization from Lebanon described al Arouri’s demise as a “dangerous development in the course of the war.”
Hezbollah further stated that the killing “will not escape retaliation or condemnation” and that the “axis of resistance,” an Iranian-backed coalition of anti-Israeli and anti-Western organizations, “has its finger on the trigger.”
In the interim, Nasser Kanaani, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, stated that the “blood of the martyr will undoubtedly invigorate the veins of resistance and inspire another surge of determination to confront Israel.”
Additionally, Mr. Kanaani denounced the infringement upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel had issued a death threat against al Arouri prior to the 7 October 2023 outbreak of hostilities between Hamas and Israel.
Bassem Naim, a Hamas representative, has verified that al Arouri perished in the explosion.
Officials from Israel refused to comment.
On Tuesday evening, the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital were shaken by an explosion that wreaked havoc in Hezbollah’s bastion; however, the nature of the explosion was not immediately known.
The extent of casualties caused by the explosion in the Beirut suburb remained uncertain; however, social media footage documented extensive destruction and flames.
The detonation occurred after over two months of intense gunfire between Hezbollah members and Israeli forces along the southern border of Lebanon.
The conflict has predominantly centered around a few miles from the frontier since its inception; however, Israel’s air force has struck Hezbollah targets deeper within Lebanon on multiple occasions.
Hezbollah reported earlier in the day that its militants targeted Israeli military posts along the Lebanon-Israel border in multiple attacks.
