Hezbollah-linked news outlets are reporting that deputy Hamas leader Saleh Arouri was killed by an Israeli air strike.
Al-Mayadeen, a publication linked to Hezbollah, reported that the high-ranking Hamas official was killed in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh.
Israeli officials have denied involvement in the strike, but noted the “surgical” precision of the attack.
“Israel has not taken responsibility for this attack. But whoever did it must be clear that this was not an attack on the Lebanese state,” Netanyahu adviser Ambassador Mark Regev told MSNBC.
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Top Hamas official Saleh Arouri was killed in an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, according to Hezbollah media. (Reuters)
He continued, “It was not even an attack on Hezbollah terrorist organization. Whoever did this did a surgical strike against the Hamas leadership.”
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Destroyed buildings lie in ruin in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from Israel. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)
Arouri is among the founders of Hamas’ military wing and has overseen the terrorist group’s operations in the West Bank.
The strike reportedly killed four people. Israeli officials have yet to comment on the explosion — Israeli Defense Forces were targeting a Hamas office.
Netanyahu has threatened to kill Arouri since before the Oct. 7 terrorist attack that sparked the ongoing conflict.
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Image shows the aftermath of an alleged Israeli air strike on a Hamas office southern Beirut suburb. (Reuters)
Since the outbreak of violence, the Israeli government has redoubled efforts targeting key Hamas leaders in an attempt to cripple the terrorist organization from the top.
