A top Hamas official has been killed in a blast in Beirut, Hamas and Hezbollah officials have said.
Saleh Arouri was a founder of Hamas’ military wing and had headed up the group’s presence in the West Bank.
The blast was carried out by an Israeli drone on Tuesday evening. It killed four people in total.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threated to kill him even before the Hamas-Israel conflict broke out on October 7, but Israeli officials have declined to comment on the news.
If Israel is confirmed as having been behind the attack, it could cause further escalation of the tensions in the Middle East.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said there would be retaliation against any Israeli targeting Palestinian officials in Lebanon.
Hamas official Bassem Naim confirmed to The Associated Press that Arouri was killed in the blast. A Hezbollah official speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations also said Arouri was killed.
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