Hamas Says Israel Kills Senior Official In Beirut Attack

(Bloomberg) -- A senior Hamas leader was killed by Israel in an explosion in Beirut, according to the Palestinian militant group, raising fresh concerns of a regional escalation of the war in Gaza.  

Hamas said Israel killed Saleh Al-Arouri, deputy head of the group’s politburo, who was known as the mastermind behind its armed wing in the West Bank. Lebanon’s caretaker premier also blamed Israel and said the attack was meant to “drag Lebanon into a new phase of confrontation.” 

Although the Israeli government has yet to confirm it was behind the attack, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said an Israeli drone struck the apartment building housing a Hamas office in Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing six people including Al-Arouri. If confirmed, it would be Israel’s first such attack on the Lebanese capital in almost two decades.

Al-Arouri would be the most senior Hamas leader killed since the group, designated as a terrorist organization by the US and European Union, infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7 and killed almost 1,200 people. 

Israel responded with an offensive on the Gaza Strip that has so far killed more than 22,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas.

Hours before Al-Arouri’s killing, Turkey detained 33 people who it alleged were spying on Palestinians on behalf of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. Last month, Ankara warned Israel against plotting to kill Hamas members in Turkey, following reports of plans to target the group’s leaders overseas.

Turkey Detains Alleged Israel Spies as Ties Sour Over Hamas

Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israel along the border with Lebanon in support of Hamas, a risky confrontation that the US has tried to avert. So far, the border clashes have remained within the so-called rules of engagement - which limit fighting to Lebanese areas that Hezbollah considers occupied, and to military targets. 

Israel arrested Al-Arouri in 1992 and sentenced him for 15 years in prison. He was released in 2007 but detained again for three more years before Israel eventually exiled him in 2010. Israel has long accused him of masterminding Hamas militant attacks in the West Bank and Israel and being the liaison between the group and allies Iran and Hezbollah. 

Hamas has a strong presence in Lebanon and close ties with Hezbollah. Its leaders have met with Hezbollah officials to coordinate on several occasions since the October attack. 

Why Hezbollah Is a Wild Card in New Mideast Fighting: QuickTake

Militias in the region backed by Iran have separately launched missiles and drones against Israel from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen to pressure the Jewish state to halt its offensive on the Gaza Strip. The killing of Al-Arouri could raise the risk of more attacks on Israel. 

Iran condemned the killing and said it held Israel “and its supporters” responsible. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a statement on Telegram that Al-Arouri’s death would increase resistance to Israel.

“The martyr’s blood will definitely create new fervor in the veins on the resistance and the motivation to fight against the Zionist occupation, not only in Palestine, but in the region and among all freedom fighters of the world,” Iran said.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006 that killed thousands and devastated Beirut. Hezbollah is considered heavily armed and better-equipped than Hamas, and the group has said its missiles could reach all of Israel in the event of another war. 

Read more: Iran’s ‘Crown Jewel’ Has Much to Lose From Total War With Israel

Television footage showed plumes of smoke from an apartment building in Beirut’s Musharafiye neighborhood, as ambulances were seen rushing to the scene of the explosion along the Hadi Nasrallah highway.

--With assistance from Patrick Sykes and Alisa Odenheimer.

(Updates with arrest of alleged Mossad agents in Turkey in sixth paragraph.)

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