His name was Saleh al-Arouri and he was a senior Hamas leader known to have connections to Iran. Yesterday Israel assassinated him in Beirut using an airstrike.

CCTV Footage from the Lebanese Capital of Beirut showing the Israeli Airstrike which resulted in the Death of the Deputy Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, Saleh al-Arouri as well as Senior Hamas Leader, Khalil al-Hayya. pic.twitter.com/kXgP2RdF55

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2024

BREAKING:

Israel uses a drone to wipe out senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri and a number of aides as they were meeting with Hezbollah officials in Beirut, Lebanon.

Hamas can’t run, they can’t hide.

Israel has promised to strike them wherever they are pic.twitter.com/ZiWUqF7cN2

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 2, 2024

According to witnesses, this was a drone strike.

Senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an Israeli drone strike in south Beirut's Dahiyeh suburb.

Two witnesses recount what they saw at the scene of the explosion ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/1ncMCSdSXT

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 2, 2024

Two other Hamas leaders were also killed in the blast. But the strike in Beirut carries a big risk that Hezbollah will now become more actively involved in the war. In fact, Hezbollah is already vowing revenge.

“We, Hezbollah, affirm that this crime will not go unanswered or unpunished,” it said. “We consider the crime of assassinating Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri… in the heart of the southern suburb of Beirut to be a serious assault on Lebanon… and a dangerous development in the course of the war.” Ankara has warned in the past against the killing of any Hamas members in Turkey…

Arouri’s role in the region was key to the group’s expansion over the last decade, even though it was contained in Gaza. Hamas expanded in the region, and it got more legitimacy, which it has exploited after October 7. Arouri was a symbol of this attempt by Hamas to grow its influence, networking from Qatar to Turkey to Lebanon.

The US had a $5 million bounty on his head and he had been designated a terrorist since 2015. His elimination is definitely a big win for Israel whose state goal is to put an end to Hamas. On the other hand his death has definitely worked up more of Israel’s enemies who marched in the streets and went on strike in the West Bank today:

Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank went on strike on Wednesday to protest the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas official, shutting down universities, banks, shops and other businesses.

Here’s what that looked like in Al-Arouri’s hometown.

“Tell the dogs of Shin Bet, we are coming”.

Ramallah is raging after the assassination of Saleh Al-Arouri. pic.twitter.com/IoWZf20AyO

— nuno marques (@numarqs) January 2, 2024

🚨BREAKING: Terrorists in Tubas, which is situated in Judea and Samaria, Israel, declare their commitment to the “path of liberation,”vowing revenge for Hamas Vice Chairman, Saleh Al-Arouri assassination

They yell that they are prepared for martyrdom. pic.twitter.com/UEwGmBjT8D

— Nioh Berg ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) January 3, 2024

A general strike prevailed today across the West Bank, mourning the national leader Saleh Al-Arouri, who was assassinated yesterday in Beirut by Israel.

The scenes were taken in Tubas. pic.twitter.com/Qw79kE95c1

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 3, 2024

So Israel is now bracing for new attacks.

Israel, well familiar with the seemingly endless cycle of attacks and counterattacks in the Middle East, is bracing for retribution.

Many residents who live along the northern border with Lebanon have already been displaced from their homes for months because of rocket fire by the armed group Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas with whom Mr. al-Arouri had worked closely. Now they must prepare for a possible intensification of hostilities that could prolong their displacement…

After the killing, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military’s chief spokesman, said in a televised briefing that Israeli forces were “on very high alert on all fronts, for defensive and offensive actions.” He emphasized that Israel was “focused on fighting Hamas,” in what some Israeli analysts interpreted as a suggestion that it did not seek a wider war with Hezbollah.

This was a strike on Hamas but the fact that it happened in Lebanon means Hezbollah almost certainly will respond. As for Iran, they are dealing with their own problems right now. More than 100 people were killed today when bombs went off near the grave site of Qasem Soleimani.

At least 103 people were killed Wednesday and 141 injured in the Iranian city of Kerman after twin blasts near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani, in what officials called a terror attack.

The blasts, at least one of which was caused by a bomb, state TV said, came on the fourth anniversary of Soleimani’s death in a US air strike, and threatens to accelerate tensions in the region that have spiked since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

So far no one has claimed responsibility for the explosion, which appeared to have been triggered remotely, but the date of this attack on the 4th anniversary of Soleimani’s killing by the US will be a reminder for Iran of how much they hate the US. In short, all of the militants in the region are much angrier than they were 24 hours ago. But the bottom line remains that the death of al-Arouri is a big loss for Hamas and a win for Israel. It’s also a reminder to other Hamas leaders living abroad that they are not safe.

"This is a big blow for Hamas".

Sky's @nicole_reporter says the death of top Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri has the "potential to change the calculus of this war".https://t.co/LQsMpORh26

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/COAWVXVcVT

— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 2, 2024