A top Hamas official, Saleh Arouri, has been killed in an Israeli drone strike in the southern part of Beirut.
Arouri, a key figure and one of the founders of Hamas's military wing, had been leading the Palestinian militant group's presence in the West Bank.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had previously issued a threat against Arouri even before the commencement of the Hamas-Israel war on October 7, 2023. Israeli officials have not provided any comments on the reported incident.
According to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency, the blast caused by the drone strike resulted in the death of four people. The nature of the blast and the extent of the casualties in the Beirut suburb are still unclear. Videos circulating on social media, however, depict significant damage and fires in the aftermath of the explosion.
The incident adds another layer to the more than two months of intense exchanges of fire between Israeli troops and members of Hezbollah along Lebanon's southern border. While the fighting has primarily been concentrated a few miles from the border, Israel's air force has targeted Hezbollah positions deeper within Lebanon on multiple occasions.
In a related development on the same day, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several attacks along the Lebanon-Israel border, specifically targeting Israeli military posts. The situation remains fluid, and updates are expected as more information becomes available.
The reported death of Saleh Arouri in the Israeli drone strike marks a significant event in the ongoing regional tensions and raises questions about the potential implications for the dynamics between Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
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