Israeli drone kills Hamas deputy chief al-Arouri in Beirut
The explosion rocked the Dahiyeh suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold.
JNS
Jan 2, 2024
An Israeli drone strike on a Hamas office in Beirut eliminated top terror chief Saleh al-Arouri on Tuesday night, Hamas’s Al-Aqsa Radio announced.
The explosion rocked the south Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold. In addition to al-Arouri, at least three other Hamas operatives were also killed in the blast, Reuters reported.
Al-Arouri, the commander of Hamas operations in Judea and Samaria, as well as the deputy politburo chief under Hamas chairman Ismail Haniyeh, had been based in Lebanon in recent years.
He was one of the top Hamas leaders on Israel’s target list following the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 massacre of at least 1,200 people in the northwestern Negev.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to kill al-Arouri (pictured), who headed the organisation in the West Bank
In a statement cited by Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya channel on Tuesday, Hamas described al-Arouri as the “architect” of the massacre.
Al-Arouri was informed of the impending invasion half an hour beforehand so he could alert Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, French outlet Le Figaro reported last week.
Local media said Nasrallah canceled a speech scheduled for Wednesday following the reports of al-Arouri’s death.
Israel is anticipating a response to the alleged assassination, according to Hebrew-language media, including possible long-range rocket fire.
During a Nov. 3 speech, Nasrallah threatened the Jewish state, telling Israelis that a preemptive strike against Lebanon would be “the most foolish mistake you make in your entire existence.”
The Hezbollah leader has repeatedly warned that any assassination inside Lebanese territory would be met with a “strong reaction.”
The office was located in Dahiyeh, an area in Beirut's southern suburbs and a stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah
Israeli forces raided a home in Samaria belonging to al-Arouri on Oct. 21, detaining more than 20 people, including one of his brothers and nine of his nephews.
Al-Arouri is credited with orchestrating the relationship between Hamas and Iran, and also played a key role in re-establishing the Palestinian terrorist group’s ties with Damascus, which were severed in 2012 during the Syrian civil war.
He was recruited into Hamas in 1985 while studying Sharia law at Hebron University and had served 18 years in Israeli prisons. He was deported to Syria in 2010.
Over the summer, Al-Arouri threatened a “regional war” should Israel resume targeted killings in the wake of a series of deadly terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria.
“If we reach the point of an all-out confrontation, Israel will face an unprecedented defeat in its history, and we are confident of that,” he told Al Mayadeen, a pro-Hezbollah Lebanese paper.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had heard al-Arouri’s “arrogant words” spoken “from his hiding place in Lebanon.
“He knows very well why he and his friends are in hiding places,” the premier added.
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