2024-01-03 09:49:45
Hamas announced the killing of the movement’s vice president, Saleh Al-Arouri, and two of its leaders in Lebanon, in an Israeli drone strike that launched a missile targeting an office affiliated with the movement in the southern suburb of Beirut.
Hamas explained that the leaders Samir Fandi Abu Amer and Azzam Al-Aqraa Abu Ammar were also killed in the Israeli raid. The Lebanese National News Agency reported that 7 people were killed and 11 others were injured in the attack, noting that Israeli warplanes were flying over Beirut and the southern suburbs, all the way to Sidon.
Lebanon announced that it would submit an urgent complaint to the UN Security Council once morest Israel following it assassinated Hamas leaders in the southern suburbs. Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that this raid is an Israeli crime aimed at bringing the country into a new phase of confrontations.
On the other hand, the American New York Times reported that the assassination of Saleh Al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, will be among upcoming assassinations once morest the movement.
The war in the Gaza Strip entered a deeper phase, although this time its arena was outside the geography of Gaza, as Israel began implementing its plan to pursue Hamas leaders spread throughout the countries of the region, and began with the assassination of Saleh Al-Arouri, deputy head of the Political Bureau.
- What is happening now by the Israeli security services will not be the last, according to the American newspaper The New York Times, which confirmed that the assassination of Al-Arouri will be part of a series of attacks carried out by Israel once morest the Hamas movement.
- Given the nature of these ongoing developments, they are consistent with what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last November that he had issued instructions to the leaders of the security and military services to target Hamas leaders wherever they are.
- In parallel with this, the Israel Times newspaper reported last December that the head of the Israeli Internal Security Service, Ronen Bar, confirmed Israel’s intention to liquidate Hamas leaders everywhere around the world.
So, Israel has moved to a new phase of the war, that is, carrying out specific assassination operations inside and outside the Strip as part of its military strategy in the Gaza Strip, moving to what it described as precise operations following months of widespread bombing operations in Gaza. Israel says that this strategy aims to eliminate the movement. Hamas permanently, so that it has no future in ruling Gaza.
Israel assassinates Hamas’s second-in-command with a drone
Israeli insistence on expanding the conflict
Speaking to Sky News Arabia, writer and political researcher Malek Abi Nader said regarding the military operation carried out by Israel inside Lebanese territory:
- Condemning the Israeli attack that targeted Lebanese territory.
- Israel continues to expand the conflict to cover its successive defeats in the Gaza Strip.
- Israel’s constant resort to assassination to cover up its defeats in wars.
- The specific operations carried out by Israel further inflame the situation, intensify Palestinian resolve, and increase resentment once morest Israel.
- The Israeli attack on residential areas in Lebanon will increase tension in the region and increase the people’s support for the resistance.
- There are no internal parties in Lebanon related to the crime that occurred, but Israel is the only one involved in the matter.
- Israel seeks to drag and implicate Hezbollah in a war that might result in comprehensive destruction to Lebanon.
- There is a kind of caution and delay on the part of Hezbollah, taking several considerations before responding directly.
- The possibility of responding from within the Palestinians through the Palestinian resistance, cooperation between the Lebanese and Palestinian arenas, and supplying the Palestinian resistance with weapons.
- There are several circumstances that dictate Hezbollah’s decision-making regarding, participation in, or expansion of the war.
- It is necessary to consider the implications of the decision on the Lebanese reality.
- It is necessary for the response to come from within the Palestinians and to emphasize Israeli frustration and failure.
- From 2006 to the end of 2022, Israel violated Resolution 1701 more than 12 times.
Israel assassinates the second man in Hamas
Carrying out retaliatory operations
Writer and political researcher Jihad Harb believes, regarding the repercussions of the Al-Arouri assassination by Israel, that this will lead to the implementation of retaliatory operations whether from Lebanon or the West Bank, adding:
- Israel is indifferent to the interests and warnings of the American administration not to expand the circle of aggression and war.
- Israel carried out the assassination without consulting or informing the American administration.
- There are many scenarios for responding to the assassination of Al-Arouri from the Lebanese and Palestinian sides.
- There will be a response from Hezbollah, especially since this operation embarrassed the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, who had vowed that any attack on any of the leaders in Lebanon would face an immediate and strong response.
- Hezbollah does not want the southern suburbs to turn into an arena for military actions, in accordance with its international obligations not to expand the war, while Israel wants to expand it, ignoring all recommendations from the US administration and other Arab and international parties.
- Israel is responsible for the assassination, especially following Netanyahu announced this during a press conference and threatened to assassinate the leaders of Hamas publicly, including those in Doha, and ordered the Mossad to carry out this on the air.
- With all the appropriate conditions available before the assassination was committed, the situation in the West Bank needed a spark to launch resistance.
- The next resistance following the assassination may be an armed operation involving all the Palestinian factions that condemned this operation, and the confrontation will be direct, popular, and broader than armed actions.
- The pressures and obstacles imposed by the occupation soldiers on the Palestinian people since October 7 have led to clashes between the occupation and the Palestinian people.
- The Israeli government, led by Netanyahu, is keen to stay away from harsh internal confrontations whose results would be difficult for the government.
- The Israeli mentality rejects the Palestinian presence in all its forms, which is what fate did not grant it, especially in light of the history of Palestinian steadfastness and that fate and decision are in the hands of the Palestinians following the war.
Expand the scope of engagement
For his part, former head of the Palestinian Affairs Branch in the West Bank at the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Kobi Lavi, in his interview with the newsroom, denies Israel’s intention or desire to expand the scope of the clash in the region – except in the case of defense and response to any aggression it is exposed to, as he says:
- Israel will not remain indifferent to any threat or sabotage directed once morest it, whether coming from the north, south, or east.
- It is difficult to preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty as long as there are people who ignore Israel’s sovereignty and cause harm to it from Lebanese territory.
- There is a popular rally behind the Netanyahu government and around the military and political leadership in Israel.
- Israel has always been accused of failing over the past 57 years.
- If Israel wants peace, it must be ready for war to eliminate Hamas and enjoy security and peace for itself and for the Palestinians.
Axial war
In light of the major developments taking place in the region, from targeting Iranian leaders in Syria and Hamas leaders in Lebanon, and its impact on expanding the scope of clashes, Dr. Mohamed Ezz Al-Arab, head of the Arab and Regional Studies Unit at Al-Ahram Center for Studies, points to this fact despite regional and Egyptian efforts to calm the situation, and says also:
- These new developments are evidence of the trend towards what is called the unity of the arenas through a new round that affects parties other than the armed Palestinian factions.
- It is in Benjamin Netanyahu’s interest for the conflict to expand, while this is not in line with the American interest related to enhancing regional stability in the region.
- Biden and his administration bear responsibility for the expansion of the war due to his inability to exert sufficient pressure on Israel.
- Despite the failure that befell Netanyahu during the last three months of the war on Gaza, Netanyahu was able to achieve a goal by targeting a number of people, led by Saleh Al-Arouri.
- Today, the matter is turning into a war of axes between Israel and the axis of resistance.
- There are large internal protests by the families of Israeli detainees, which leads to more tension and a factor of pressure for Netanyahu.
- Negotiations between the Israeli side and Hamas were delayed, and Arab and regional efforts, led by Egypt and Qatar, face great difficulties during the next stage.
- The resistance was keen to respond in various forms, whether from the Houthi or Lebanese side, and the same was true for the Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq.
Escalation in Gaza.. Assassination of Saleh Al-Arouri
Who is Saleh Al-Arouri?
- 1966: He was born in the village of Arora near Ramallah in the West Bank.
- 1987: Joining Hamas.
- 1990: Israel arrested him in connection with his activity in Hamas.
- 1991-1992: He participated in establishing the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
- 1992: He was arrested by Israel and imprisoned for 15 years
- 2007: Israel released him for a limited period and re-arrested him for 3 years
- 2010: The court released him and decided to deport him outside Palestine. He was chosen as a member of the Hamas political bureau.
- 2010-2013: He settled in Syria.
- 2011: Member of the negotiating delegation in the prisoner release deal.
- 2013: He left Syria and settled in Lebanon.
- 2017: He was elected as Deputy Chairman of the Political Bureau of Hamas.
- January 2024: Israel assassinated him in the southern suburb of Beirut.
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