Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas deputy leader, was reportedly killed in an alleged Israeli drone strike in Beirut, as reported by The Times of Israel. The terrorist organization Hamas has also confirmed the death of its deputy commander in Lebanon. Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq condemned what he called “cowardly assassinations” by the Zionist occupation, asserting that such actions would not break the will and steadfastness of the Palestinian people. Israel has not yet commented on the reported strike. Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, denounced the alleged killing, terming it a “new Israeli crime” and warned of Israel attempting to drag Lebanon into the conflict.
Saleh al-Arouri, 57, served as the political bureau’s deputy director for Hamas and was considered the de facto head of Hamas’s military branch in the West Bank. He had been released from Israeli prisons in March 2010, playing a key role in negotiating the release of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. After residing in Istanbul, he relocated to Beirut, overseeing Hamas’s military operations in the West Bank and maintaining ties with Iran and Hezbollah.
