Saleh al-Arouri was an influential member of Hamas who was responsible for founding both their armed wing and as deputy political head. His death has sent shockwaves through the group.
Israel and the U.S. had issued warrants for his arrest, with Israel seeking him in Lebanon as well. This attack occurred in a stronghold area for Hezbollah – southern Beirut’s Harissa Nasrallah has pledged revenge upon these attackers.
What happened?
On Tuesday morning, it appears that Israel conducted an attack that claimed Saleh al-Arouri as its deputy political leader and founder of its military wing. He was the highest-ranking Hamas official killed since Israel launched an unexpected strike against Hezbollah fighters near its southern border with Lebanon on October 7. Arouri’s death indicates that fighting between Hezbollah and Israel has extended beyond Gaza and threatens to escalate into wider fighting across Lebanon and possibly even the wider Middle East. Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati blamed Israel for this latest strike and saw it as an attempt by them to drag Lebanon into more intense conflicts; Iran, which supports both Hezbollah and Hamas, strongly condemned Arouri’s killing.
The strike occurred in one of Beirut’s southern suburbs – a stronghold for Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who has pledged retaliation against any efforts by Israel to track down Hamas officials within Lebanon.
connections to Hezbollah
Saleh al-Arouri’s death is both significant and alarming for Hamas. He was one of the founding members of their military wing and deputy head of political bureau. With this strike by Israel against Saleh al-Arouri’s life outside Gaza on October 7, Israel targeted one of their senior figures outside their territory for assassination.
Arouri had a longstanding dispute with Israel. According to reports, he was involved in kidnapping and murdering three Israeli teenagers in 2014. Furthermore, Hezbollah considered him their liaison before serving time in an Israeli jail for other attacks against Israelis.
He was an essential player in organizing Hezbollah activities and supporting militant operations outside Gaza, likely having deep connections to Hezbollah and Iranian officials – as well as being known to Israel since moving to Beirut and settling there in 2015.
How did it happen?
According to several Israeli media outlets, including Yedioth Ahronoth, Arouri was killed by Israeli military strikes targeting Hamas offices in southern Beirut neighborhoods. Lebanon’s al-Masra reported six guided missiles were launched.
Palestinian official stated that missiles fired by Israel hit two buildings belonging to Hamas: their political bureau and weapons warehouse – killing Arouri while injuring at least four other individuals as well as damaging multiple buildings during an explosion caused by it.
Saleh al-Arouri was an essential leader of Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades armed wing, which could cause further violence between Israel and Hamas; his death is also likely to escalate tensions with Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy army that boasts one of the world’s largest nonstate militaries.
Sima Shine, a senior fellow with the Institute for National Security Studies, asserts that full-scale war with Hezbollah would necessitate massive Israeli escalation and would compromise Hamas relations with Iran as well as damage its operations in Gaza, which have come under intense Israeli bombardment for three months.
Saleh al-Arouri
Saleh al-Arouri, 57, was one of the founders of Hamas’ military wing and served as deputy head of its politburo under Ismail Haniyeh. Additionally, he oversaw Hamas presence in West Bank territory before migrating to Lebanon as its representative from 2018.
His killing could undermine negotiations for the release of Hamas prisoners held by Israel, which threatened to execute him even prior to the current conflict beginning on October 7. Lebanese officials confirmed his killing while Lebanon’s National News Agency claimed an Israeli drone attacked.
An advisor to Israel’s prime minister told CNBC that those responsible should make it clear it wasn’t an attack on Lebanon, yet Sanam Vakil, director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa program, warned it increased the risk of war with Hezbollah – one of the world’s most heavily-armed non-state military forces – which has promised to respond aggressively if Israel targets Palestinian militants within Lebanon.
