Deadly strike on Hamas deputy leader is a major escalation – Hezbollah may be unable to turn a blind eye
An Israeli drone strike, in Hezbollah-controlled southern Beirut, is a potentially major escalation.
The target was Saleh al Arouri, a senior Hamas commander in Lebanon and de-facto leader of the group in the West Bank.
As rocket fire from Gaza has decreased notably in recent weeks, the Israel-Lebanon border has grown in tension, with regular daily exchanges of artillery and missile strikes.
Israel-Gaza latest: Hamas blames ‘assassination’ on Israel
It’s likely Israel won’t formally admit to this assassination, but the government has made it clear they will go after Hamas leaders wherever they are in the world.
This would seem to be evidence that they are keeping that vow.
Hezbollah, who thus far have seemed unwilling to enter a full-scale war with Israel – instead limiting fighting to the border areas – will need to decide how to respond.
With Israeli border villages evacuated, a US aircraft carrier close by, and hundreds of thousands of Israeli reservists already called up, some in Israel have called for the military to take this opportunity to push back Hezbollah once and for all.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far resisted.
On the face of it, this is an attack on Hamas, not Hezbollah, but it was in the capital Beirut and has eliminated a figure said to be very close to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah – they have reportedly met on a number of occasions since 7 October.
Nasrallah, who was already due to speak publicly on Wednesday, surely cannot turn a blind eye to this attack.