Saleh Arouri was a founding member of the group’s military wing (Photo: Getty)

Saleh Arouri was a founding member of the group’s military wing and the highest figure killed since the war with Israel began.

Lebanon-based Hamas ally Hezbollah said the killing in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh was “a serious attack” on the country and “a dangerous development in the course of the war.”

The group vowed that the deaths of Arouri and other Al-Qassam members “will not happen without response or punishment,” adding that the resistance “has its finger on the trigger.”

Since Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began nearly three months ago, there have been almost daily firefights between Hezbollah and the Israeli army across the Israeli-Lebanese border.

So far, however, the Lebanese group appears unwilling to dramatically escalate the fighting.

Hamas delegation head Saleh al-Arouri speaks as he attends a press conference with Fatah leader Azzam Ahmad after the signing ceremony of a reconciliation deal in Cairo, Egypt, in 2017 (Photo: Reuters)

TOPSHOT - People gather at the site of an attack that Lebanese media describe as an Israeli attack on a Hamas office in the southern suburbs of Beirut on January 2, 2024. Hamas deputy leader Aruri was killed in an Israeli attack in the southern part of Beirut. On January 2, 2024, two security officials told AFP news agency, while state media reported that the attack hit a Hamas office. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

People gather at the site of what Lebanese media describe as an Israeli attack on a Hamas office in Beirut’s southern suburbs (Photo: AFP)

People inspect the site of an attack, according to Lebanese media, an Israeli attack on a Hamas office, in the southern suburbs of Beirut on January 2, 2024. Hamas deputy leader Aruri was killed in an Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut on January 2, 2024. January 2, 2024. On January 2, 2024, two security officials told AFP that state media reported that the attack hit a Hamas office. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas deputy leader Aruri was killed in an Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs (Photo: AFP via Getty)



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A serious response could escalate the conflict into all-out war on Israel’s northern border.

The Lebanese state news agency said the attack was carried out by an Israeli drone. Israeli officials declined to comment, as is typical in such scenarios.

Speaking to reporters, military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari did not directly mention Arouri’s death, but said: “We are and remain focused on the fight against Hamas.”

“We are well prepared for any scenario.”

The killing comes ahead of a visit to the region by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as the United States has sought to prevent the conflict from spreading and has repeatedly warned Hezbollah – and its regional backer Iran – of further escalating violence.

Aid workers search for survivors in an apartment after a massive explosion in the southern outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, January 2, 2024. The Lebanese Hezbollah group's television channel says top Hamas official Saleh Arouri was killed in an explosion on Tuesday. a construction area in southern Beirut. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Civil defense forces search for survivors in an apartment after a massive explosion in Beirut’s southern suburbs (Photo: AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the attack in Gaza until Hamas is dismantled and the more than 100 hostages the militant group still holds in Gaza are released, which he said could take several months.

At the same time, Israeli officials have increasingly warned in recent days of more action against Hezbollah unless the cross-border fire stops.

Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened to kill Hamas leaders wherever they are.

The group’s Oct. 7 attack from Gaza on southern Israel killed about 1,200 people and took about 240 others hostage.

Israel claims to have killed a number of mid-level Hamas leaders in Gaza, but it would be the first time it has entered another country to attack its senior leaders, many of whom live in exile in the region.

Arouri served as deputy to Hamas’ top political leader Ismail Haniyeh and led the group’s presence in the West Bank. He was also a key contact with Hezbollah.

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