Lebanon's Hamas leader killed after U.S. condemnation of Israel's far-right

Lebanon's Hamas leader killed after U.S. condemnation of Israel's far-right

Immediately after the U.S. State Department criticized Israel's far-right cabinet, Israeli troops attacked and killed the deputy head of Hamas in Lebanon.
Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas's deputy leader, and two other leaders of the Hamas militant group were killed in an explosion in the Lebanese capital on Sunday in what was described as a "Zionist raid."
Regarding the assassination of a Hamas deputy leader in the Lebanese capital Tel Aviv that occurred on the 2nd, a senior U.S. official officially confirmed to the New York Times on the 2nd that “Israel is responsible for this airstrike.”
In a statement earlier on the morning of the 2nd, the U.S. State Department strongly criticized Israeli ministers for pressuring Gazans to leave the Gaza Strip.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller specifically named hard-liners in Israel, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and said, "These are inflammatory and irresponsible remarks. We have received such criticism from the Israeli government, including the prime minister." "We have been told repeatedly and consistently that the remarks do not reflect the policies of the Israeli government. It must stop immediately," he said in a statement.
State Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of Israel's far-right Otzma Yehudit party, told parliament, "This is an opportunity to focus on encouraging the migration of Gaza residents," adding that such forced migration policies are "right, just, moral, and ethical." “It is a humane solution,” he said, Time of Israel reported on the 1st.
“We cannot withdraw from any territory in the Gaza Strip. I do not rule out Jewish settlement there, and I believe that is also important,” he said.
Finance Minister Smotrich of the far-right Zionist party said the “right solution” to the war was “to encourage the people of Gaza to voluntarily emigrate to countries that will agree to accept refugees.” “This will include the establishment of settlements,” he said.
State Department spokesman Miller said, “We are clear and consistent that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, that Hamas no longer controls the future of Gaza, and that there is no terrorist group capable of threatening Israel.” “We have said clearly: That is the future we pursue for the benefit of Israel, Palestine, the surrounding region, and the world,” he said in an official statement opposing it.
The New York Times said on the 2nd, “Both Ben Gvir and Mr. Smotrich are residents of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are considered illegal by the United States and many countries around the world,” adding, “Israel is an “Under the ‘separation plan,’ all settlements in the Gaza Strip and several smaller settlements in the West Bank were demolished,” he said.
Current Prime Minister Netanyahu, who was Israel's finance minister at the time of the separation, resigned on August 7, 2005, citing 'opposition to the settlement demolition policy' as the reason for his resignation. “They tried to take over the party,” the report said.
At the time, Israel's Foreign Ministry described the policy as "an effort to improve Israel's security and international standing in the absence of peace negotiations with Palestine."
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh announced in a television speech on the 2nd that seven Hamas members were killed in an airstrike on the outskirts of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.
NYT posted a video of the scene confirmed in the incident report, showing at least one vehicle engulfed in flames in front of a high-rise building with dozens of people gathered.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had no immediate comment, and an Israeli military spokesman declined to comment on the matter at a briefing on Thursday night.
The U.S. State Department anonymously told the NYT that Deputy Director Haniyeh's killing "could disrupt talks to halt the fighting to free the hostages."
“Sinwar (Hamas leader) is feeling the noose tightening, and I don’t know if he’s willing to move forward with what’s being negotiated,” a senior U.S. official said on the day, adding that the assassination of a top Hamas figure in Lebanon could be exchanged for Gaza (hostages and Israeli incarceration). It was confirmed that the talks on a short-term cessation of fighting with the Palestinians (who are now known as Palestinians) are “likely to be temporarily set back.”
Hamas's leader said the airstrike was a "violation of Lebanon's sovereignty" and that Israel's "attempt to break our people's will to persevere will not succeed."
Immediately after the surprise attack, Israel's chief spokesman, Major General Daniel Hagari, said in a TV briefing that the Israeli military was "maintaining a very high alert on all fronts against defensive and offensive actions" and was "focused on fighting Hamas." The NYT said, “Some Israeli analysts viewed this statement as a message to Hezbollah.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said immediately after the airstrikes that killed three senior Hamas leaders that "it is essential to avoid an attitude that escalates tensions, especially in Lebanon."
The New York Times reported that President Macron said in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister rival Benny Gantz immediately after the incident, "France will continue to convey this message to all parties directly or indirectly involved in the region."