Israel said it was in “a high state of readiness” on Tuesday night after the deputy leader of Hamas was killed in a Beirut explosion reported to have been caused by an Israeli drone.
Saleh al-Arouri was among six people killed on when the powerful blast destroyed an apartment in the Lebanese capital, reportedly during a meeting of senior militants. The dead were reported to include other senior Hamas military commanders in Lebanon.
The third-storey apartment in the Dahiyeh neighbourhood, a stronghold of the militant group, Hizbullah, was reportedly hit by an armed drone in what appeared to be a pinpoint strike.
The attack came on Day 88 of the Gaza war and marked the most significant military achievement for Israel to date, following the military and intelligence disaster of October 7th. Immediately after the surprise attack by Hamas-led militants, in which 1,200 were killed and 240 kidnapped, according to Israel, Israeli leaders vowed to wipe out the entire Hamas leadership, in Gaza and abroad.
The fact that Tuesday’s attack took place in the top Hizbullah stronghold in Lebanon’s capital raised the possibility that the powerful Iran-backed Shia group would escalate its cross-border attacks from south Lebanon against Israel.
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said: “The IDF is at a very high level of readiness, in all arenas, in defence and offence. We are in high state of readiness for any scenario.”
Iran said the killing would further ignite the resistance against Israel, and Lebanon’s prime minister Najib Mikati condemned the explosion as an “‘Israel crime intended to spur a new phase of conflict”.
Born in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Arouri (57) was deputy chair of Hamas’s political bureau and the founding commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the group’s military wing. He was released from prison in Israel 13 years ago. He set up and operated the Hamas West Bank division from Turkey and was appointed deputy to Hamas leader-in-exile Ismail Haniyeh, enjoying a close relationship with Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. Arouri was considered by Israel the most important figure in organising and financing Hamas operations in the West Bank.
His relations with Gaza’s Hamas leader, Yaha Sinwar, were strained. The two were considered bitter rivals and were barely on speaking terms.
In response to the attack, Hamas froze all contacts about a further release of hostages held in captivity in Gaza.
Protesters gathered in West Bank cities, calling for revenge for the killing and expressing support for Hamas.
Israel made no official comment on the killing and politicians were ordered not to comment, but Likud parliamentarian and former diplomat Danny Danon congratulated the Israeli military and security forces on the assassination.
