Saleh al-Arouri, killed Tuesday in Lebanon with other Hamas executives, is the most senior official of the Palestinian Islamist movement eliminated by the Jewish state since the start of the conflict almost three months ago.
Will the death of Hamas number two reshuffle the cards in the conflict which has pitted Israel against the Palestinian Islamist movement since October 7? Exiled in Lebanon for several years, Saleh al-Arouri was killed Tuesday January 2 in a strike attributed to the Israeli army in the southern suburbs of Beirut, stronghold of Hezbollah, announced the Palestinian Islamist movement and Lebanese officials. Enough to revive fears of an extension of the conflict in the region. Here is what we know about the death of this Hamas leader and the possible consequences in the war initiated almost three months ago.
A strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut
The strike that killed Saleh al-Arouri near Beirut, carried out by two drones according to Lebanese media, targeted the Hamas office in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, stronghold of pro-Iranian Hezbollah, according to Lebanese security officials.
In the process, the political leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement, Ismaïl Haniyeh, denounced a “terrorist act” and assured that Hamas would not be “never defeated”. Saleh al-Arouri is not the only victim of this strike since two leaders of the armed wing of Hamas (the Ezzedine al-Qassam brigades), Samir Fandi and Azzam al-Aqraa, were also killed, as were four other executives of the Palestinian organization: Mahmoud Zaki Chahine, Mohammad Bashasha, Mohammad al-Raïs and Ahmad Hammoud.
A leader in exile in Lebanon for several years
Saleh al-Arouri is the highest official of the Palestinian Islamist movement killed since the start of this new war. He was elected deputy to Ismaïl Haniyeh in 2017, thus officially becoming number 2 in the political bureau of the Islamist movement. Aged 58 and born in the West Bank, he “would be the sponsor of several military operations carried out against the Hebrew State, in particular the salvo of rockets fired in April 2023 from South Lebanon” And “one of the main negotiators for the release of hostages held by Hamas”notes L’Orient-Le jour.
Hamas number 2 had spent nearly twenty years in Israeli prisons before being released in 2010, on the condition that he go into exile. He had therefore been in Lebanon for several years. His house, empty, was destroyed with explosives by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank at the end of October, according to witnesses.
High tensions on the Israeli-Lebanese border
Since the start of the conflict, the border between Israel and Lebanon was already the scene of almost daily exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, which supports Hamas. But never has a strike hit the outskirts of the Lebanese capital since October 7. “This is the first attack in the Shiite party stronghold south of the capital”confirms L’Orient-Le jour.
Never has a Hamas leader as high-ranking as Saleh al-Arouri been killed since October 7, even though the Israeli army has announced several times that it has succeeded in killing leaders of the Islamist movement in the Gaza strip.
Significant risks of escalation and stalled negotiations
This strike revived fears of an extension of the conflict between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip. Lebanese Hezbollah warned on Tuesday evening that “the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri” was not only a “serious aggression against Lebanon”, but also “a serious development in the war between the enemy and the axis of resistance”an expression designating Iran and its regional allies hostile to Israel. “This crime will not go unanswered or unpunished”, added Hezbollah. Ismaïl Haniyeh denounced him “a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty” and an “expansion” of the ongoing war.
For its part, the Israeli army says it is ready for any eventuality. “Israeli forces are in a very high state of readiness in all arenas, in defense and attack. We are highly prepared for any scenario. The most important thing to say this [mardi] evening is that we are focused and remain focused on the fight against Hamas.”said army spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
In the meantime, the death of Saleh al-Arouri has suspended negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a new truce and the release of hostages, reports Israeli media Haaretz, citing sources “Arab diplomatic sources”. “The talks now focus on preventing an escalation.”
In this context, Emmanuel Macron called on Tuesday evening Israel to “avoid any escalatory attitude, particularly in Lebanon” during a telephone interview with Israeli Minister Benny Gantz, member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet. During this interview, the Head of State reiterated his call to “work towards a lasting ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas and again expressed “its deepest concern in the face of the very heavy civilian death toll” in the Gaza Strip, scene of continuous air raids and artillery fire for almost three months.