Watan-Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, announced on Tuesday the martyrdom of the Deputy Head of the Political Bureau of the movement, Sheikh Saleh Al-Arouri, and two leaders of the Al-Qassam Brigades in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
It is worth noting that Commander Saleh Al-Arouri was one of the founders of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the Deputy Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas, and responsible for financing and supplying the Al-Qassam Brigades with weapons from abroad. He was also a key negotiator in the Shalit deal.
الصهاينة يستهدفون بطائرة مسيرة الضاحية الجنوبية في #لبنان سعيا لتحقيق أي نصر بعدما عجزوا عنه في #غزة .. وأنباء تتحدث عن اغتيال القيادي في حركة #حماس صالح العاروري نائب رئيس المكتب السياسي واثنان من مرافقيه .. pic.twitter.com/2VfZB2Wj46
— جابر الحرمي (@jaberalharmi) January 2, 2024
Assassination of Saleh Al-Arouri
On Tuesday, Israel targeted Beirut for the first time since 2006, specifically hitting a Hamas office in the southern suburbs. Activists shared video clips capturing the immediate aftermath of the Israeli strike, resulting in the martyrdom of Al-Arouri and two other leaders of the Qassam Brigades.
The videos reveal extensive destruction and fires everywhere, underscoring the magnitude and destructive power of the airstrike.
📸اللحظات الأولى لاغتيال الشيخ #صالح_العاروري نائب رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة #حماس في #الضاحية_الجنوبية لـ #بيروت. pic.twitter.com/f4cDreAh8t
— وطن. يغرد خارج السرب (@watanserb_news) January 2, 2024
The attack was carried out by an Israeli drone, causing a massive explosion that led to the deaths of four individuals, including the Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri and two Qassam leaders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously vowed to target all Hamas leaders everywhere in response to the “Operation Aqsa Storm,” which inflicted unprecedented losses on Israel and shattered the supposed invincibility of its army.
طائرة إسرائيلية قصفت المبنى بثلاثة صواريخ فاستشهد نائب رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة #صالح_العاروري وثلاثة من مرافقيه #الضاحية_الجنوبية #لبنان pic.twitter.com/3ePmjmtnwT
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) January 2, 2024
Saleh Al-Arouri’s Background
Al-Arouri, a former prisoner, spent approximately 18 years in Israeli prisons from 1992 to 2010. Upon his release in 2010, he was deported to Syria, where he resided for years before moving to Turkey during the Syrian revolution and later settling in Lebanon.
A member of Hamas’s political bureau since 2010, Al-Arouri joined the movement at its inception in 1987. Born in the village of Aroura near Ramallah in 1966, he studied Islamic law at Hebron University.
Al-Arouri played a significant role in establishing Hamas’s military wing in the West Bank (Qassam Brigades). He also stood out as one of the negotiating team members for the Shalit deal, facilitating a prisoner exchange in 2011.
📸الشيخ #صالح_العاروري، قبل أشهر: “الآجال والأعمار بيد الله، وأنا عمري ما توقعت أن أبلغ هذا العمر أصلا، والشهادة ولقاء الله هو الفوز العظيم الذي نتمنى أن نختم حياتنا به”. pic.twitter.com/lNrRDMgRe6
— وطن. يغرد خارج السرب (@watanserb_news) January 2, 2024