The head of the Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh says Israel’s assassination of Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut proved the regime was seeking to evade defeat and cover up its failure in the genocidal campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Arouri, known as the “architect” of the October 7 Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, was killed in an explosion in the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital on January 2, after an Israeli drone bombed a building with three missiles.
During the burial ceremony in the Beirut suburbs, Haniyeh said the regime had further revealed its criminal mentality by assassinating Arouri.
“If the enemy thinks it can make the Palestinian nation despair and surrender through terror, it is completely wrong,” the Hamas chief said.
Haniyeh said the “cowardly assassination” was a “flagrant crime that demonstrates, once again, the brutality exercised by the occupiers against our people.”
The Hamas chief said Israel stands “responsible for any repercussions.”
Elsewhere, Haniyeh said Arouri faced a host of challenges to revive resistance in the occupied West Bank at a critical time.
Meanwhile, the head of the Palestinian resistance movement Islamic Jihad also condemned Israel’s act of terror.
Islamic Jihad’s commander Ziad al-Nakhalah said Arouri was “one of the distinguished and devoted leaders of the Palestinian people.”
“We have lost him when we needed his presence the most. He was a leader who instilled confidence and tranquility in those around him and those he dealt with.”
