Hamas confirms the death of its 'number two' in an explosion in Beirut

An explosion ended the life of Saleh al Aruri on Tuesday afternoon, number two of Hamas, in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Beirut. The Islamist organization accuses Israel of the attack in the capital of Lebanon, but the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu has so far not acknowledged its responsibility. If confirmed, it would represent the greatest Israeli success since the start of the Gaza war on October 7, by eliminating the highest-ranking militant of the Islamist organization. It would also be the first Israeli attack against the Lebanese capital since 2006. According to Reuters, a missile launched from a drone was what caused his death and that of two other leaders of the group's armed wing.

Al Aruri, co-founder of Hamas's armed wing, the Ezedin al-Qassam Brigades, was the main collaborator of the organization's leader, Ismail Haniye. His death occurs in the midst of talks between both sides for a possible ceasefire and the exchange of hostages kidnapped by Hamas and Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails. After learning of his disappearance, Haniye has reiterated that his conditions for a new exchange necessarily require Israel to decree “a complete cessation” of its military offensive in Gaza.

When three months are about to pass since the attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis and the beginning of the Israeli military response that has caused more than 21,000 fatalities in the Strip, the elimination of Al Aruri constitutes a success for the Government of Netanyahu who, since October 7, despite laying siege to that territory by land, sea and air, had not managed to capture or eliminate any high-ranking Hamas leader. Al Aruri's position in the organization surpasses what is considered the number one target in Israel, the leader in the Strip, Yahia Sinwar, and his lieutenant and local leader of the military wing, Mohamed Deif.

Al Aruri, a native of a town near Ramallah, was also responsible for the militia in the West Bank. His murder has sparked protests in the center of the Palestinian capital. Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati has condemned the explosion as a “new Israeli crime” that, he has said, seeks to implicate his country in the war. Hamas has confirmed his death in what it considers “a cowardly murder.” Iran, for its part, has assured that the attack “will ignite the veins of resistance and motivation to fight against the Zionist occupiers, not only in Palestine, but in the region.” The Tehran regime supports the Hezbollah (Lebanon) militias, related groups in Syria and Iraq, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen who have increased their hostilities against Israel since the beginning of their offensive in Gaza.

The attack occurred on the Hamas offices in Dahiye, a suburb of Beirut controlled by Hezbollah, the Shiite militia that exchanges rockets, aerial fire and artillery almost daily with Israel in the north of the country. In addition to the death of Al Aruri, the attack caused the death of five other people, Reuters reports. The Israeli military has refused to confirm responsibility for the attack. Mark Regev, advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, assured the American network MSNBC that Israel was not responsible for the bombing. “Whoever it was, this must be clear: this was not an attack against Lebanon,” he said. “Whoever did it carried out a surgical strike against the Hamas leadership,” he added.

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