Array
His name was Saleh al-Arouri and he was a senior Hamas leader known to have connections to Iran. Yesterday Israel assassinated him in Beirut using an airstrike.
CCTV Footage from the Lebanese Capital of Beirut showing the Israeli Airstrike which resulted in the Death of the Deputy Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, Saleh al-Arouri as well as Senior Hamas Leader, Khalil al-Hayya. pic.twitter.com/kXgP2RdF55
OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2024
BREAKING:
Israel uses a drone to wipe out senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri and a number of aides as they were meeting with Hezbollah officials in Beirut, Lebanon.
Hamas can’t run, they can’t hide.
Israel has promised to strike them wherever they are pic.twitter.com/ZiWUqF7cN2
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 2, 2024
According to witnesses, this was a drone strike.
Senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an Israeli drone strike in south Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburb.
Two witnesses recount what they saw at the scene of the explosion ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/1ncMCSdSXT
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 2, 2024
Two other Hamas leaders were also killed in the blast. But the strike in Beirut carries a big risk that Hezbollah will now become more actively involved in the war. In fact, Hezbollah is already vowing revenge.
“We, Hezbollah, affirm that this crime will not go unanswered or unpunished,” it said. “We consider the crime of assassinating Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri… in the heart of the southern suburb of Beirut to be a serious assault on Lebanon… and a dangerous development in the course of the war.” Ankara has warned in the past against the killing of any Hamas members in Turkey…
Arouri’s role in the region was key to the group’s expansion over the last decade, even though it was contained in Gaza. Hamas expanded in the region, and it got more legitimacy, which it has exploited after October 7. Arouri was a symbol of this attempt by Hamas to grow its influence, networking from Qatar to Turkey to Lebanon.
