Deputy Hamas Leader Saleh al-Arouri 'Assassinated in Lebanon by Israeli Drone Strike'

Israel assassinated senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri along with two commanders from the al-Qassam Brigades, in a strike that took place in Lebanon.

Saleh al-Arouri was deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau and commander of its military wing in the West Bank. pic.twitter.com/90FB2XwV43

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) January 2, 2024

CAIRO, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Deputy Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri had long expected the Israeli drone strike that security sources said killed him in Beirut on Tuesday, three months after his group's surprise cross-border assault that triggered a devastating war in Gaza.

"I am waiting for martyrdom and think that I lived too long," he said in August, as he urged Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to take up arms amid a surge of violence.

His killing comes at a defining moment for the organisation, as Israel attempts to eradicate it in retaliation for the Oct. 7 attack, when Hamas fighters rampaged across the border, killing 1,200 people and seizing 240 hostages.

Israel has long accused him of lethal attacks on its citizens, but a Hamas official said he was also "at the heart of negotiations" over the outcome of the Gaza war and the release of hostages conducted by Qatar and Egypt.

Hezbollah has said the blast that killed al Arouri was a "serious assault on Lebanon".

The Lebanese militant group also said the death of al Arouri is a "dangerous development in the course of the war".

Hezbollah added that the killing "will not go without a response or punishment" and said the "axis of resistance" - a coalition of anti-Israeli and anti-Western groups backed by Iran - has its "finger on the trigger".

Meanwhile, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said the "martyr's blood will undoubtedly ignite another surge in the veins of resistance and motivation to fight" against Israel.

BREAKING: MOTHER OF SALEH AL-AROURI WHO WAS ASSASSINATED BY A DRONE ATTACK IN BEIRUT SPEAKS OUT

“May Allah have mercy on his soul. He sacrificed himself for the homeland. He wanted martyrdom, and Allah granted it to him. We congratulate him and the whole world on his martyrdom.… pic.twitter.com/VImoJSyFcX

— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) January 2, 2024

SISTER OF SALEH AL-AROURI SPEAKS OUT ABOUT HIS ASSASSINATION

“Praise be to Allah that our Lord honored us with the martyrdom of Sheikh Saleh. This was his wish he would wish for every day. When he was praying, he would say, 'O Allah, grant me martyrdom,' every day. "I… pic.twitter.com/pHlXWV8Oto

— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) January 2, 2024

SALEH AL-AROURI WAS ASKED ABOUT HIS POSSIBLE ASSASSINATION BY ISRAEL

“Our blood and souls are not more precious or more valuable than any martyr.” pic.twitter.com/vvAUdG3qDI

— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) January 2, 2024

⚡️The martyr Sheikh Saleh Al-Arouri months ago: I see that the martyrdom has been long, and I feel that I have exceeded my expected lifespan, and when the martyrdom comes, I live by it. pic.twitter.com/AXpuIWuQgj

— Palestine Now (@PalestineNW) January 2, 2024