Lebanon has accused Israel of trying to foment chaos across the Middle East after a senior Hamas official was killed in Beirut.
Israel killed a top Hamas official following the group’s attack on October 7, 2023. But the Israelis did it not in Setkor Gaza, but in Lebanon. Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an explosion in Denmark, a suburb of the Lebanese capital. Hamas said six other members of the group were killed along with him, two of them from the command staff.
Israel never confirms or denies its involvement in these types of actions, but there are often many indications of it.
Operation
The Lebanese Prime Minister accused Israel of committing a crime on foreign territory and trying to drag the region into a new phase of conflict.
Israel’s representative said the incident should be considered a “surgical operation” and not an attack on the State of Lebanon.
Leaders of Hezbollah, a Lebanese group and ally of Hamas, warned that they would not let the matter go unanswered. They previously warned Israel against carrying out any killings on Lebanese soil, promising a stern response.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bu Habib said the government is holding negotiations with Hezbollah, within the framework of which it asks the group to refrain from retaliatory actions.
At the same time, he emphasized that the Lebanese authorities do not give orders to Hezbollah, but only ask them to weigh the situation.
“We are very concerned, the Lebanese do not want to be drawn, even Hezbollah does not want to be drawn into a regional conflict,” said Bou Habib.
He called on the West to influence Israel not only in terms of conducting operations in Lebanon, but generally regarding its actions in Gaza and the region.
What will happen next?
Israel’s military command said it was prepared for any additional scenarios. In particular, the IDF has significantly expanded air defense capabilities on Israel’s northern border should Hezbollah use long-range missiles that are in the group’s arsenal.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to remove Hamas leaders responsible for the massacre in Israel on October 7, wherever they are.
Former US national security adviser Mara Rudman believes al-Arouri’s death may have been part of this plan.
He compared the current situation to what Israel did after the shooting of the Israeli Olympic team in Munich in 1972. The attack was carried out by the Palestinian group Black September. Israeli intelligence services chased the group around the world for years, until not a single organizer of the action in Munich was left alive.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, Hezbollah has fired almost daily into Israel across Lebanon’s southern border, and after Arouri’s killing it fired rockets at a group of Israeli soldiers near Marjah.
The Foreign Ministry of Iran, the main supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah, said that the killing of Arouri “will undoubtedly cause a new surge of resistance and motivation to fight the Zionist occupiers not only of Palestine, but also also in the region, as well as among all the freedom fighters around the world.” .
Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets of West Bank cities to condemn Arouri’s killing and call for revenge.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.