Hamas said one of its senior officials, Saleh Al-Arouri, was killed in an explosion in Beirut, and blamed the “cowardly assassination” on Israel.
Al-Arouri was one of the founders of the military wing of Hamas and deputy head of the movement's political bureau. He also headed Hamas' presence in the West Bank.
The National News Agency in Lebanon said that the explosion killed four people and was carried out by an Israeli drone. Three security sources told Reuters that the strike hit the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Izzat Al-Rishq, a member of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), said that Al-Arouri was killed in a “cowardly assassination” carried out by Israel, adding that such attacks “will not succeed in breaking the will and steadfastness of our people, or undermining the will and steadfastness of our people.” In continuation of their valiant resistance.”
He added: “It proves once again the abject failure of this enemy to achieve any of its aggressive goals in the Gaza Strip.”
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon, had previously pledged to respond to any Israeli targeting of Palestinian officials in the country.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to kill Al-Arouri even before the war between Hamas and Israel began on October 7, 2023.
Bassem Naim, a Hamas official, confirmed that Al-Arouri was killed in the explosion. A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said Al-Arouri was killed.
Israeli officials declined to comment.
An explosion rocked the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital on Tuesday evening, leading to chaos in Hezbollah's stronghold, but the nature of the explosion was not immediately known.
It was not clear whether the explosion caused any casualties in the Beirut suburb, but videos circulated on social media showed severe damage and fire.
The explosion came during more than two months of violent exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah members along Lebanon's southern border.
Since the start of the fighting, the attacks have been concentrated a few miles from the border, but the Israeli Air Force has on several occasions struck Hezbollah targets deep in Lebanon.
Earlier today, Hezbollah said that its fighters carried out several attacks along the Lebanese-Israeli border targeting Israeli military sites.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be posted soon.
Please refresh the page to get the full version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on your smartphone or tablet via Sky News application. You can also follow along @Sky News on X Or subscribe to our website YouTube channel To keep up with the latest news.
