The leader of Hezbollah affirmed, Friday, January 5, that a response to the strike that killed Hamas number two in Beirut is “inevitable.” This strike, attributed to Israel, targeted the apartment where Saleh Al-Arouri was in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital on January 2, killing the leader and six other Hamas officials and executives.
This shot “is serious and will not go unanswered,” warned Hassan Nasrallah in a televised speech, assuring that his movement would react on “the battlefield.” Hamas ally Hezbollah launches daily attacks against Israel from southern Lebanon.
“We cannot remain silent about a violation of this magnitude because it would mean that all of Lebanon would be exposed” in the future, stressed Hassan Nasrallah. “Our fighters from across the border areas (…) will respond to this dangerous violation,” he added. On Wednesday, the leader of the Shiite movement had already given a speech in which he assured that the assassination of Saleh Al-Arouri "would not go unpunished", without further clarification.
Tuesday's strike was the first since October 7 on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital. Israel, which did not claim it, was immediately accused by Hamas, Hezbollah and the Lebanese government. An American defense official also assured that it was indeed an “Israeli strike”. Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah are currently limited to the border areas of southern Lebanon.
