Hamas leader killed in drone attack on Beirut's southern suburb

GAZA/BEIRUT -- A Hamas source told Xinhua that the movement's deputy chief, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed on Tuesday evening in an Israeli attack on the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

The source added that several aides of al-Arouri were also killed in the attack targeting a Hamas office.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the incident.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's al-Jadeed TV confirmed the death of al-Arouri and three of his bodyguards in a building in Dahieh, a suburb in southern Beirut.

It added that the strike also killed civilians and injured about 20 others, with the accurate figure to be released later.

Lebanese civil defense units have rushed to the area to recover bodies, treat the injured, and transport them to nearby hospitals.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati accused Israel of "standing behind the incident," saying, "This explosion is a new Israeli crime that aims to bring Lebanon into a new phase of confrontations amid Israel's ongoing daily attacks in the south (of Lebanon), which have led to a big number of casualties."

Al-Arouri, born in the West Bank village of Arura near Ramallah in 1966, is considered one of the prominent leaders of Hamas and played a role in founding the Hamas armed wing, Qassam Brigades.

He was detained in Israeli prisons for more than 18 years and was deported by Israeli authorities from Palestinian territories upon his last release in 2010.

Al-Arouri was elected as the deputy head of the Hamas politburo, the movement's highest leadership body, in 2017.

Israeli officials had threatened to assassinate Hamas leaders inside and outside Palestinian territories in recent weeks, especially al-Arouri, whom Israeli security agencies accused of funding military cells in the West Bank.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, has previously warned Israel against any assassination attempts on Palestinian or Iranian leaders in Lebanon, vowing to retaliate against any such move.

The Lebanon-Israel border witnessed increased tension since Oct. 8 after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attack on Israel the previous day.