The assassination of Senior Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri has drawn wide condemnations across Lebanon, Palestine, the region and the world.
Hamas deputy chief was martyred in an Israeli drone strike on Tuesday (January 2) on Beirut’s southern suburb (Dahiyeh).
Regional and Int’l Stances
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the assassination of Al-Arouri was a “cowardly terrorist operation” that proves “that the Zionist regime has not achieved any of its goals after weeks of war crimes, genocide and destruction in Gaza and the West Bank despite the direct support of the United States.”
“The evil activity of the terror machine of this terrorist regime in other countries is a real threat to peace and security and a serious alarm for the security of the countries in the region,” the top diplomat said on X platform.
شهادت آقای شیخ صالح العاروری و تعدادی از همراهان ایشان را به آقای شیخ اسماعیل هنیه، رئیس دفتر سیاسی حماس، اعضای این جنبش آزادیبخش و ملت قهرمان فلسطین تسلیت می‌گویم.
اینچنین عملیات بزدلانه تروریستی ثابت می‌کند که رژیم‌صهیونیستی پس از هفته‌ها جنایت جنگی، نسل‌کشی و ویرانی در غزه و…— H.Amirabdollahian امیرعبداللهیان (@Amirabdolahian) January 3, 2024
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron called on the Israeli occupation to “avoid escalation, particularly in Lebanon,” following the strike.
Macron, who spoke by telephone with Israeli minister and war cabinet member Benny Gantz, said “it was essential to avoid any escalatory attitude, particularly in Lebanon, and that France would continue to pass on these messages to all players directly or indirectly involved in the area,” according to the French Presidency.
Meanwhile, a senior US official said it was most likely the first of many strikes that ‘Israel’ would carry out against Hamas operatives connected to the Oct. 7 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
On the other hand, the politburo of Yemen’s Ansarullah revolutionary group also condemned “the heinous assassination” committed by the Israeli occupation, stressing that Tel Aviv would not have dared to carry out without the US’ support and approval.
Ansarullah stressed that this brutal crime “reflects the level of bankruptcy, degradation, and criminality” that the Israeli occupation has reached.
Furthermore, Yemeni Government’s Prime Minister Abdulaziz Bin Habtoor condemned the Israeli crime and conveyed a message of condolences to the leadership of Hamas.
He affirmed Yemen’s full solidarity, both the people and the government, with the people of Palestine.
Moreover, Iraq’s Kataeb Hezbollah stressed that the US-backed Israeli occupation carried out this crime after its military failure in confronting Gaza’s resistance.
Lebanese Condemnations
In Lebanon, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the explosion as “a new Israeli act aimed at dragging Lebanon into a new phase of confrontations after the continuous daily attacks in the South.”
He emphasized Lebanon’s commitment to respecting international decisions, especially UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Mikati assigned the caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdallah Bou Habib, the responsibility of filing a complaint with the United Nations Security Council against the Israeli aggression.
Amal Movement’s politburo denounced the assassination of the senior Hamas leader, affirming that this barbaric crime reflects the Israeli failure on political, security and military levels.
Sleiman Frangieh, the leader of the Marada party, deemed the explosion a clear violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a breach of Resolution 1701.
Progressive Socialist Party issued a statement in which it described the assassination as flagrant crime that continuous Israeli savagery against Palestinian people in Gaza.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
