An Israeli drone struck a Hamas office in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Tuesday, killing four people, Lebanon’s state news agency reported.
Two security sources said a senior Palestinian militant may have been killed in the incident.
Al-Manar TV confirms that an Israeli drone strike in Beirut killed Saleh Al-Arouri, founder of Hamas military and Deputy Hamas Leader.
Manar, the television station of Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group which has a stronghold in the area, said an explosion was heard near the Hadi Nasrallah highway close to a road junction.
It gave no details of the explosion, which comes a day before a speech by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Israeli media said: “Hezbollah informs international bodies that it will respond to the assassination of leader Saleh Al-Arouri”
Analyst says, “the ball is now in Nasrallah’s court, either to start a comprehensive war with Israel or contain the assassination.”
A Reuters witness said the explosion may have been caused by a drone that hit the second floor of a building in the crowded neighbourhood.
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati issues a statement responding to the killing of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri, condemning the “new Israeli crime” and warning that Jerusalem is aiming to drag Lebanon into a new phase of confrontations.
Hezbollah, an ally of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israel across Lebanon’s southern frontier since the eruption of the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza in early October.
Israeli air strikes and shelling have killed more than 100 Hezbollah fighters and nearly two dozen civilians, including children, elderly and several journalists, according to Hezbollah and security sources.
