It has been suggested that this article be merged into Saleh al-Arouri . (Discuss) Proposed since January 2024. |
Part of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present) and the Israel–Hamas war | |
Date | 2 January 2024 |
---|---|
Location | Dahieh, Lebanon |
Coordinates | 33°51′26″N35°30′52″E / 33.857331°N 35.514419°E |
Type | Drone attack or airstrike |
Motive | Unknown |
Target | Saleh al-Arouri |
Perpetrator | Israel [1] (presumed) |
Deaths | 7 [2] |
On 2 January 2024, Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy leader of Hamas, was killed in an Israeli strike on an office in the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon. The strike also killed six other individuals, including additional high-ranking Hamas militants. [3] [4]
Saleh al-Arouri was the deputy leader of the Hamas political bureau and one of the architects of the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. [5] He was also responsible for the expansion of Hamas' activities in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including attacks on Israelis. [6] [7] [8] This attack is widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, Hamas' main adversary. However, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in this incident. [9] [10]
The assassination occurred a day before Hezbollah commemorated the fourth anniversary of the assassination of senior Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani. [11]
On 8 October 2023, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired guided rockets and artillery shells at Israeli positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms one day into the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. Israel retaliated by launching drone strikes and artillery shells at Hezbollah positions near Lebanon's boundary with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The outbreak of the conflict had followed Hezbollah's declaration of support and praise for the Hamas attack on Israel, which took place on 7 October. [12] [13] Since 1969, Palestinian militia groups have held base in Lebanon after being ousted from Jordan.
Up until 2015, Arouri lived in Turkey; in December 2015, it was reported that he had left Turkey for Lebanon. [14] In 2015, the United States had placed a $5 million bounty on Saleh al-Arouri and designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. [15]
Allied groups of Hamas specifically warned the group against using the office after they suspected that its location had become exposed to Israeli intelligence. [16] Hezbollah had written letters to Hamas. Numerous members brought phones with them which placed them at further risk of surveillance and the office was also equipped with at least one computer and had Wi-Fi connection. [16] Lebanese security officials suspect that a stealth plane fired precision-guided missiles into the office. A security official informed the National News that “The radars that we have are civil radars, we don’t have military radar capability that can pick up on the presence of stealth planes.” [16]
According to CCTV footage published by MTV Lebanon, the attack took place around 17:41 (local time) in Dahieh, a residential suburban neighborhood of Beirut. [17] Cell phone footage show at least one car engulfed in flames in front of a damaged residential building as dozens gather in the area just after the strike. [1] Early reports said that four Hamas members were killed but increased to six which included a possible civilian. [18] Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV announced that Hamas Operations Chief in Lebanon, Samir Fendi, and Azzam al-Aqra were among those killed in the strike alongside al-Arouri. [19] Ismail Haniyeh later identified three additional Hamas members who were killed. He announced the deaths of Hamas members Mahmoud Zaki Shahin, Mohammad Bashasha, Mohammad al-Rayes and Mohammad Hamoud. [20]
Two senior U.S. officials confirmed that Israel was responsible for the strike. [1]
List of those killed that were eventually announced by Hamas.
Name | Role | Ref |
---|---|---|
Saleh al-Arouri | Deputy Chairman of the Political Bureau of Hamas | [1] |
Samir Fendi | Al-Qassam Commanders | [21] |
Azzam Al-Aqra | [19] | |
Muhammad Al-Rayes | Soldiers | [22] |
Muhammad Bashasha | [20] | |
Ahmed Hammoud | ||
Mahmoud Zaki Shahin |
Saleh al-Arouri was the highest ranking Hamas leader killed since the beginning of the war. [23] In his second speech since the beginning of the war, Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said that Hezbollah is not afraid of an all-out war with Israel. [24] He described the attack as a "major and dangerous crime" that "will not go unanswered and unpunished". [25] Hezbollah announced that it carried out nine attacks targeting Israeli positions. [24] On the same day, an Israeli airstrike in Naqoura killed local Hezbollah commander Hussein Yazbek and three of his bodyguards, and injured nine other Hezbollah operatives. [26]
Immediately after the conformation of al-Arouri's death, numerous demonstrations took place in Lebanese cities. Protests were held at refugee camps including the Beddawi refugee camp in Tripoli. [38] This included protests in the city of Ramallah, near Arouri's hometown, where demonstrators chanted: "We will follow your footsteps", and "revenge, revenge, Qassam!" [38]
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