Hamas leader assassinated – Hezbollah wants revenge: here’s what you want to know now Dramatic decision: Supreme Court overturns core element of Netanyahu’s judicial reform

It is a clear escalation in an already extremely dangerous situation: the second-highest leader of the Islamist Hamas abroad, Saleh al-Aruri, was killed in an explosion in Beirut.

The most important questions and answers:

What do we know?

The explosion took place outside a Hamas office in a southern district of Beirut considered a stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah. The exact reasons behind the explosion initially remained unclear. However, suspicions soon arose that it could be a targeted killing – probably by the Israeli army or on behalf of Israel.

eyewitnesses said: A building was hit by a drone strike, as was a car from which civil protection officers removed a charred corpse after the fire. Parts of a building were completely destroyed after the explosion. Lebanese media reported that Al-Aruri was killed in an apartment. Hamas sources said a Palestinian group had held a rally in the area that evening.

Videos after the explosion showed at least one car burning near a busy street. Ambulance sirens could also be heard. White smoke rose above the area and shards of glass littered the street. Soon, hundreds of Hezbollah supporters gathered nearby. Demonstrations broke out in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

The Washington Post reported, citing an anonymous source from American defense circles, The Israeli army was responsible for the attack in Beirut. The Israeli military has not yet responded to the reports. Hamas confirmed the death of the deputy head of its political bureau. In addition, two leaders of their Kassam brigades were reportedly killed the armed wing of the group. A total of six people were killed, state news agency NNA reported.

With the death of Al-Aruri, Hezbollah comes one step closer to a major military confrontation with the Israeli army. Since the start of the Gaza war, fighting between the two near their shared border has increased – probably the most serious since the second Lebanon war in 2006.

Who was Al-Aruri?

Saleh al-Aruri was one of the Palestinian leaders of the terrorist organization Hamas and the founding commander of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. Israel saw Al-Aruri as the mastermind behind the attacks on the West Bank. He has therefore long been considered a possible attack target. He is said to have been responsible for the activities of Hamas’s military wing in the West Bank. Israel and Hamas exchanged threats over the summer – before their ongoing war began. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Al-Aruri “knew very well why he and his friends are in hiding.”

Saleh Al-Aruri was reportedly 58 years old and spent a total of twelve years in Israeli prisons before his release in 2010. He enjoyed privileges as an interlocutor with Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, who rarely appears in public. The Israeli army destroyed Al-Aruri’s house in the West Bank in late October.

The explosion occurred the evening before the third anniversary of the assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Ghassem Soleimani. The US killed him in a drone strike in Iraq in 2020. Nasrallah was due to deliver a speech on Wednesday on the anniversary of Soleimani’s assassination. Recently, senior Iranian general Sejed-Rasi Mousavi was killed in a suspected Israeli airstrike in Syria.

How do Hamas and Hezbollah respond?

The Hezbollah militia has announced retaliatory measures. The “crime” in Beirut was “a dangerous attack on Lebanon” and its people and security, the militia announced on Tuesday evening. “This crime will never go unanswered or punished.” Hezbollah has “its finger on the trigger” and its fighters are “at the highest level of readiness.”

After three months of war, Israel is unable to ‘subdue’ Gaza and is therefore resorting to means such as assassinations, the Shiite movement explained. Al-Aruri’s death follows the assassination of senior Iranian general Sejed-Rasi Mousavi, who was recently killed in a suspected Israeli airstrike in Syria.

Hezbollah launched its first attack on Israel that evening after Al-Arouri’s death. They attacked a group of Israeli soldiers near the border, said the militia. There were deaths and injuries. Regular shelling between Hezbollah and the Israeli army near the border has increased since the start of the Gaza war three months ago.

Al-Aruri’s death marks a setback for efforts in the Gaza war to secure a renewed ceasefire or the release of hostages. The Haaretz newspaper, citing Arab diplomats, reported that talks had stalled as a result of the “assassination attempt.” Al-Aruri himself is said to have been one of the negotiators for the release of the hostages held by Hamas last month.

What is Israel saying so far?

When asked, the Israeli army did not comment on reports of a targeted killing of Al-Aruri.

The Israeli government’s security adviser is clearly trying to defuse the situation following the death of the Hamas leader. The alleged attack was aimed exclusively at Hamas, Mark Regev emphasized to the American broadcaster MSNBC. “Whoever did this, it must be clear that this was not an attack on the Lebanese state. It wasn’t even an attack on Hezbollah.”

He continued: “Whoever carried out this attack was highly surgical and targeted a Hamas target. Because Israel is at war,” he said without finishing the sentence.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior adviser emphasized that Israel has not taken responsibility for the incident. At the same time, Regev said that Israel’s leadership had in the past identified prominent terrorists involved in the murder of Israeli civilians as legitimate targets. However, this is a general principle and has nothing to do with the current situation.

Israeli media speculated that Regev was trying to use the interview to deter Lebanese Hezbollah from responding harshly. According to reports in the Israeli media, the army expects rocket fire over longer distances. In recent months, clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah have been limited to the border area between the two countries. There have been repeated shellings there since the start of the Gaza war.

Danny Danon, a senior member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, congratulated the Israeli army, intelligence and security forces for killing Al-Arouri. Israel’s Cabinet Secretary has reportedly banned ministers from commenting on the incident. Right-wing extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X: “All your enemies will perish, Israel.” Israel had previously targeted all Hamas members involved in planning the October 7 massacres, regardless of their location.

How do other actors react?

Lebanese military expert and former general Chalil Hilo described the situation as “very dangerous.” Hezbollah will not tolerate an attack on its stronghold in Beirut. There could be indications of this on Wednesday – in a speech planned for tonight by Hezbollah boss Hassan Nasrallah.

Acting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati spoke of an “Israeli crime that absolutely wants to lead Lebanon to a new phase of confrontations.”

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the Israeli government to “avoid any escalating behavior, especially in Lebanon.” The Elysée Palace in Paris announced this on Tuesday evening after Macron’s telephone conversation with Benny Gantz, minister in the Israeli war cabinet, according to media reports. France will continue to transmit these signals of restraint to all actors directly or indirectly involved in the area, the report said.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani blamed Israel for the death of the Hamas representative and condemned the alleged attack. It was “the result of desperation and a serious and irreparable defeat against Palestinian resistance groups,” Kanaani said, according to a statement from his ministry. Kanaani also called for a response from the UN Security Council. (lacquer/sda/dpa)