Israel on high alert after senior Hamas leader killed in Lebanon blast
Global News
Israel was on high alert for an escalation with Hezbollah on Wednesday after one of the top leaders of the Palestinian Hamas was killed in a blast in Beirut.
Israel was on high alert for an escalation with Hezbollah on Wednesday after one of the top leaders of the Palestinian Hamas was killed in a strike in Beirut that was widely blamed on Israel and heightened the risk of a broader Middle East conflict.
The killing of Saleh Arouri, the most senior Hamas member slain since the conflict in Gaza erupted nearly three months ago, provided a morale boost for Israelis still reeling from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack as the militants put up stiff resistance in Gaza and continue to hold scores of hostages.
But its implications for the conflict remain unclear. Israel has killed several top Hamas leaders over the years, only to see them quickly replaced. And the explosion in Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold could cause the low-intensity fighting along the Lebanon border to boil over into all-out war.
Much depends on how Hassan Nasrallah – who has led Hezbollah since an Israeli strike killed his predecessor in 1992 – chooses to respond. He has previously vowed to retaliate for any Israeli targeting of allied militant leaders in Lebanon, and was expected to deliver a speech at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT).
Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been exchanging fire almost daily over the Israeli-Lebanese border since the conflict in Gaza began, but Nasrallah has appeared reluctant to escalate it further, perhaps fearing a repeat of the monthlong 2006 war, in which Israel heavily bombed Beirut and southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah said its fighters attacked two Israeli border posts on Wednesday using “suitable weapons” and scoring “direct hits.” The two sides also exchanged fire overnight, but Hezbollah did not directly link its actions to Arouri’s killing. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Israeli officials have not commented on the strike that killed Arouri, but Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, said “we are on high readiness for any scenario.”
The United States has sought to prevent any widening of the conflict, including by deploying two aircraft carriers and other military assets to the region. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected in the region this week.
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