An Israeli drone on Tuesday (January 2) targeted a Hamas facility in Beirut’s southern suburbs, resulting in the death of four people, Reuters reported citing Lebanon’s state news agency. Sources within the security establishment indicated a top Hamas official Saleh Arouri killed during the attack, news agency AP reported.
Hezbollah’s TV station says top Hamas official Saleh Arouri killed in an explosion south of Beirut, reports AP
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 2, 2024
#BREAKING Hamas TV says Israel has killed group’s deputy head in Beirut pic.twitter.com/ZGSiIKdraa
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 2, 2024
Hezbollah’s Manar television station reported an explosion close to the Hadi Nasrallah highway and a road junction. However, specific details surrounding the incident remain unclear at this time. Notably, this incident transpired a day before a scheduled address by Hezbollah’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
A witness from Reuters suggested that the explosion might be attributed to a drone strike, impacting a building’s second floor within a densely populated area.
According to the reports, the hostilities have intensified since the outbreak of the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza this past October. Continuous exchanges of fire between Hezbollah, a significant Lebanese armed group, and Israel along Lebanon’s southern boundary have been reported lately.
Reports from Hezbollah and security outlets indicate that Israeli military actions have resulted in the deaths of over 100 Hezbollah combatants and approximately 24 civilians, including children, the elderly, and multiple journalists.
Earlier on Monday, Israel’s Supreme Court overturned a key component of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul, issuing a landmark decision that could reopen the schisms in Israeli society that preceded the country’s ongoing war against Hamas. The court voted narrowly to overturn a law passed in July that prohibits judges from overturning government decisions they deem “unreasonable”. Opponents argued that Netanyahu’s efforts to eliminate the standard of reasonableness open the door to corruption and the improper appointment of unqualified cronies to important positions.
