03 January 2024 , 18:51
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Israel was last night bracing for escalation with Hezbollah after it used a drone strike on the group’s stronghold in Lebanon to kill a Hamas leader.
Saleh al-Arouri, the most senior Hamas member killed in the war so far, was visiting Hezbollah contacts in Beirut. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nassrallah may now declare all-out war, or at least step up missile attacks on Israel. The two sides exchanged fire overnight. Hezbollah did not directly link its actions to al-Arouri’s killing but a spokesman said: “This crime will never pass without response and punishment.”
The strike killed six other members of Hamas too, including two commanders. The group’s leader Ismail Haniyeh said: “They left behind them strong men, who will carry the banner.” Israel has not commented on the strike that killed al-Arouri, who was Haniyeh’s deputy.
Carnage in the aftermath of the attack (Twitter)But Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said: “We are on high readiness for any scenario.” Desperate to prevent a widening of the conflict, the US has deployed two aircraft carriers and other military assets to the region. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to arrive in the region this week.
Israel claims to have killed a number of mid-level Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip but this is the first time it has done so in another country. Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, with around 240 taken hostage. Israel’s air, ground and sea assault on Gaza has killed more than 22,300, two-thirds of them women and children.
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