The scene the day after the explosion of an apartment in Msharafieh, Beirut, where deputy leader of Hamas's political wing, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed. (Credit: João Sousa/AFP)
The deputy leader of Hamas's political wing, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed by what an Israeli spokesperson describes as "a surgical strike" in Beirut’s southern suburb on Tuesday evening. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied it was responsible.
How has the Israeli press been reacting? A short review for you:
The Jerusalem Post
Saleh al-Arouri was the "number one target" of a special Shin Bet unit established to target Hamas operatives abroad, reports the Israeli newspaper, citing Walla! military correspondent, Amir Bohbot.
However, Bohbot wrote, this is not the first allegedly Shin Bet-led assassination of a Hamas official in Lebanon. Earlier in November 2023, Khalil Hamed al-Kharraz, the deputy head of Hamas's Qassam Brigades in Lebanon, was killed Israeli strike in the south of Lebanon.
Haaretz
The paper describes Saleh al-Arouri as "very influential" within Hamas, because of his efforts to develop a military network in the West Bank. Additionally, while he was living in Lebanon, he was able to bring Hamas closer to Hezbollah, being in close contact with the Iranian-backed group's Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah. He and Yahya Sinwar, Hamas's leader in the Gaza Strip, were thought to share the same strategic worldview.
The Times of Israel
Al-Arouri is described as the “mastermind of Hamas terrorism" in the West Bank and hostage deal negotiator. It also claims he was long in Israeli crosshairs before being assassinated in Beirut, where he played a key role in cementing ties with Hezbollah and Iran.
As far as he was concerned, Beirut's threat was out of Israel's range, and that's where the murderer actually chose to act
N21 TV channel
The channel suggests that Al-Arouri thought "Beirut's threat was out of Israel's range" and that "although he is designated as Ismail Haniyeh's deputy, in fact, he is the man responsible for terrorism in the last year and a half" in the West Bank.
I24NEWS
The media group says his death "marks a seismic event in the terrorist organization's leadership."