– This attack will not go unanswered.
This was the clear message from Hezbollah after the drone attack on Beirut yesterday.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah suspect Israel of being behind this.
Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri was killed along with a number of his bodyguards. Al-Arouri was an important political leader in Hamas, and was one of the founders of the Al-Qassam Brigades, which was behind the attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
It was Saleh Al-Arouri, deputy leader of Hamas, who was killed in the attack that occurred in Beirut yesterday. The photo was sent by the Hamas press office, and it supposedly shows Al-Arouri in his office.
Photography: AFP
No one is safe
With this attack, Israel is telling the whole world that it will pursue anyone it believes threatens its security.
This is what Middle East affairs expert Makram Rabah at the famous American University of Beirut says.
– Al-Arouri’s killing is part of revenge for the attack on Israel on October 7, Rabah believes.
Sagittarius rivals
This is the first time that Israel has bombed targets in Beirut since the war between Lebanon and Israel in 2006. At least 1,100 Lebanese and 165 Israelis were killed.
The drone attack on the Hamas leader raised fears of a new war. But the war in the Gaza Strip is between Hamas and Israel. What is the role of Hezbollah, we ask the expert.
The alliance between Hezbollah and Hamas is stronger than many people imagine. They share the same ideology and are sworn enemies of Israel. Both receive political, economic and military support from Iran, Israel's arch-rival.
Middle East affairs expert Makram Rabah at the American University of Beirut believes that Hezbollah still does not want another major conflict with Israel.
When the war between Hamas and Israel began approximately three months ago, Hezbollah was one of the few groups in the Middle East to declare its full support and sympathy for Hamas.
One of them said: Our history, our weapons, and our missiles are with you Hezbollah leader in Beirut After the outbreak of war.
In solidarity with the Palestinians, Hezbollah fired rockets and shells at Israeli towns and villages near the Lebanese border.
Since then, there have been almost daily clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. But the fighting was limited to the relatively uninhabited border areas between Lebanon and Israel.
Fear of escalation
Then the leader of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah publicly commented on the attack against Israel in a speech on November 3, explaining that it was the work of Hamas.
He also said that it is an expression of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict And No regional conflict
A drone attack against the Hamas leader in the Lebanese capital may change that.
The Israeli attack constitutes a clear escalation of the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Unfortunately, this could lead to more bloodshed, Rabah fears.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said recently During a visit to the evacuated towns and villages along the border with Lebanon:
– Hezbollah's leader must realize that he is the next man out.
Now many in Lebanon and the Middle East are waiting to see what Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will do.
The answer may come this afternoon. Then Nasrallah gives another speech.
How Hezbollah's leader responds to the Israeli drone attack could be crucial to whether Lebanon and Israel end up at war again.
In Beirut, a cleaning operation is underway around the building that, according to Lebanese media, houses the Hamas office, which was attacked yesterday by a drone.
Photography: Anwar Amr/AFP
Israeli cities can be bombed
Hezbollah is very strong militarily. The movement is believed to include up to 100,000 well-trained fighters.
They also have hundreds of advanced and accurate missiles that can reach Israeli cities such as Haifa and Tel Aviv.
Despite the steep fronts, Middle East expert Rabeh does not believe Hezbollah wants another war with Israel.
– I do not think Hezbollah is interested in a large-scale war now. Especially since it does not suit Iran's interests at the present time. Hezbollah does what Iran says.
Rabah is more unsure of what Israel can come up with.
– Israel sends a clear signal to the United States, which is trying to limit the war to the Gaza Strip. The Americans do not want to be drawn into a new major conflict in the Middle East.
– With the drone attack on Beirut, the Israelis show that they do not care about the concerns of the Americans, and are doing what they believe is right to protect themselves.
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