Israeli prime minister asserts responsibility for cross-border airstrike in Lebanon, vows to continue targeting high-ranking Hamas officials

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Monday that the Israeli army had carried out the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, in a controversial cross-border airstrike in Lebanon in January.

Netanyahu announced in a video statement, asserting that they had successfully eliminated “number four” in Hamas, in an apparent reference to Arouri. He went on to state that the operations against other high-ranking Hamas officials were ongoing, emphasizing that “Three, two, and one are on the way (to be killed). They are all dead men, we will reach them all.”

The confirmation of Arouri’s death came amidst widespread criticism from Lebanon and other regional countries. Despite the backlash, Israel had not officially acknowledged its role in the assassination until now.

Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s commitment to continuing attacks in Gaza until achieving what he described as “total victory” over Hamas.

Earlier reports from Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news indicated that the Israeli military was investigating whether Marwan Issa, Hamas’ deputy military commander in the Gaza Strip and “No. 3” in the hierarchy of Hamas, had been killed in an airstrike overnight in the refugee camp of Al-Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip. The strike reportedly resulted in the deaths of five militants and injuries to ten others.