Killing Hamas leader in Lebanon carries risks for Israelpublished at 19:54 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January

19:54 GMT 2 January

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

On the face of it, there is no doubt that Israel was responsible for killing Saleh al-Arouri.

Senior government adviser Mark Regev’s use of the phrase "whoever did this" when speaking to US broadcaster MSNBC was redundant.

His insistence that "this was not an attack on the Lebanese state" makes clear that Israel is anxious to persuade the world - and especially the authorities in Beirut - that the operation was integral to Israel’s feud with Hamas, not part of some wider interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs.

Israel’s former ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, dispensed with fig leaves altogether and congratulated the Israeli military and intelligence services for their roles.

But while Israel had a very specific target in its sights, killing a senior Hamas official in the Lebanese capital clearly carries risks.

The fact the assassination was carried out in the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahiyeh may be hard for the powerful Shia militia to ignore.

In August, Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah warned of a "severe reaction" to any Israeli assassination carried out on Lebanese territory.

Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been exchanging fire along Israel’s northern border for months, but the skirmishes - while occasionally deadly - have been generally limited.

Nasrallah called the war in Gaza a "purely Palestinian battle" in a speech in November, but the assassination of a significant Palestinian guest in his own back yard means that some kind of reaction, somewhere, is likely.

We've just heard from an Israeli military spokesman, who did not respond directly to the killing of Saleh al-Arouri - but did say the Israel Defense Forces are in a state of high alert.

Israeli media is reporting that Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: "The IDF is at a very high level of readiness, in all arenas, in defence and offence. We are in high state of readiness for any scenario."

"The most important thing to say tonight is that we are focused and remain focused on fighting Hamas," Hagari added.

Iran has responded to the death of senior Hamas figure Saleh al-Arouri.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani says the explosion in Beirut will "undoubtedly ignite another surge in the veins of resistance and the motivation to fight", reports Iranian state media.

Kanaani added this will also encourage resistance to fight against Israel, not only in Palestinian territories but also in the region and "among all freedom-seekers worldwide".

Iran supports both Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

A senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the explosion in Beirut as a "surgical strike" against Hamas's leadership.

Speaking to MSNBC in the US, Mark Regev pointed out that Israel has not taken responsibility for the attack.

"Whoever did it must be clear - that this was not an attack on the Lebanese state.

"Whoever did this did a surgical strike against the Hamas leadership,” he added.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, Hamas has confirmed the death of one of its senior leaders, Saleh al-Arouri.

The 57-year-old was deputy chairman of Hamas's political bureau and the founding commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the group's military wing.

He was involved in a deal that saw more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners being released in exchange for an IDF corporal in 2011.

Al-Arouri was also closely connected with Iran and the Hezbollah group in Lebanon - a Shia Muslim organisation which is designated a terrorist organisation by Western states, Israel, Gulf Arab countries and the Arab League.

He joined Hamas in 1987, leading the Islamic student movement and helping establish the group's military presence in the West Bank.

He had been based in Lebanon prior to his death.

Lebanese official state media now says the death toll from the explosion in southern Beirut has risen to six.

As we've been reporting, among the dead is the deputy head of Hamas's political bureau Saleh al-Arouri.

It was reported earlier that four people had been killed.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati has called the explosion in the capital Beirut "a crime" which "aims to drag Lebanon into a new phase of confrontation with Israel".

Mikati's statement adds that "many" were injured and killed in the explosion.

As we've been reporting, fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah on the border with Lebanon has been escalating since Hamas's 7 October attacks, prompting concern the conflict in Gaza could become wider across the region.

The major explosion in Beirut on Tuesday night follows an escalation in fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah on the border of Israel and Lebanon since 7 October.

Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah fighters have been killed in the cross-border exchanges, and Israel has evacuated thousands of civilians from the north, near its border with Lebanon.

Late last month, Israel’s former Minister of Defence Benny Gantz said Israeli forces would act to remove Hezbollah from the border if its attacks continued.

Hezbollah is a designated terrorist organisation by Western states, Israel, Gulf Arab countries and the Arab League.

Funded by Iran, it is one of the most heavily-armed, non-state military forces in the world.

Image source, .

Not long ago we received first reports about a major explosion in Beirut, Lebanon's capital.

Here's a quick recap of what we know so far:

• Hamas has confirmed that Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of its political bureau, was killed in the blast in the Dahiyeh neighbourhood of the Lebanese capital on Tuesday night. Hamas, the group that controls the Gaza Strip, has close ties with Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group with strong ties to the neighbourhood
• Three other people have been reported killed in the blast, which Lebanese state media say was caused by an Israeli drone strike

• The Israeli military has told the BBC it will not comment on reports in the foreign media

Image source, Reuters

Hamas has now confirmed the death of the deputy head of its political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri, in the blast south of Beirut.

Al-Arouri was also known to be deeply involved in Hamas's military affairs.

A senior Hamas official was killed in the blast on Beirut's southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, reports AFP and Reuters, citing security sources.

We'll bring you more as we get it.

The first pictures of the explosion in Lebanon's capital Beirut are now starting to reach us.

Lebanese state media is reporting that Hamas's office in Dahiyeh, one of the city's southern suburbs, was hit.

The country's state media also says four people have been killed in the explosion.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

More from Beirut now.

Four people have been killed in that explosion at a Hamas office in a suburb in the south of Lebanon's capital, according to state media.

The BBC is not yet able to verify the reports, but we're working to bring you updates.

A major explosion has been reported in Beirut in the last half hour.

The blast was reported in Dahiyeh, a neighbourhood with strong links to the Hezbollah group, an ally of Hamas.

Lebanese state media says the explosion was caused by an Israeli drone strike targeting a Hamas office. Several people are reported to have been wounded. We will update you with more information as we get it.

Image source, Reuters

The leader of Hamas says the remaining hostages taken during the group's deadly cross-border attacks in southern Israel on 7 October will only be released under conditions set by the group itself.

Speaking during a televised address, Ismail Haniyeh says Hamas has delivered its position to Qatar and Egypt - mediators in the conflict - which is based on "a complete cessation of the aggression" against Palestinians.

Last month, Hamas ruled out any further hostage releases until the war ends. Israel has repeatedly rejected a permanent ceasefire and has vowed to destroy Hamas.

An estimated 240 people were taken prisoner into Gaza on 7 October, but 105 were later released by Hamas during a six-day ceasefire at the end of November.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says , externalfive people have been killed and three injured in Israeli bombing on its headquarters in Khan Younis, a city in the south of the Gaza Strip.

The humanitarian organisation said Israel's forces had been targeting the eighth floor of its headquarters. It also said drones had fired in the vicinity of the neighbouring Al-Amal hospital.

It added that 14,000 displaced people were sheltering across the two sites.

The BBC has approached Israel Defense Forces for comment.

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Israeli troops have killed four Palestinians during what they said was a counterterrorism raid near Qalqilya in the north of the occupied West Bank.

The four killed were aged between 18 and 29, and their bodies were removed by Israeli forces, locals in Azzun said. A witness told the BBC the raid went on from before midnight until early morning.

Tensions have been running high in the West Bank since the Hamas attacks of 7 October sparked the war in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, recently warned that the territory could "implode".

The Israeli military said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that in Azzun "terrorists shot and threw explosives at our forces. The fighters identified the building where the terrorist squad was hiding and at the end of an exchange of fire, they killed the four terrorists."

The Palestinian news agency, Wafa said that early on Tuesday, four men "were shot dead during confrontations that erupted as Israeli occupation forces stormed the town". Quoting Palestinian security sources, it said that soldiers "fired live ammunition, stun grenades, and teargas towards the local residents".

A local man in Azzun told the BBC: "There have been daily assaults since 7 October even though there are no militants in this area. Altogether, seven people have been killed and there have been many arrests."

One of the world's biggest shipping firms, the German company Hapag-Lloyd, has told the BBC it will avoid the Red Sea for at least another week and then reassess following the recent attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The Iran-backed rebels, who have declared their support for Hamas, have been targeting vessels on the popular shipping route through the Suez Canal.

The group has previously claimed its attacks are directed at vessels linked to Israel, in response to the war in Gaza.

Shipping companies are worried about the safety of their staff as some vessels have come under attack from drones and rockets.

The US Navy destroyed three Houthi "small boats" on the weekend, when their crews attempted to board a container ship in the Red Sea.

Hapag-Lloyd sends 50 ships every month through the Suez Canal and will have to divert around the Cape of Good Hope which will increase journey times by one or two weeks, depending on the destination.

Image source, Reuters

Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice to contest South Africa's allegations of genocide over the war with Hamas in Gaza, according to an Israeli government spokesman.

South Africa's application, external, submitted to the Hague on Friday, stated that the "acts and omissions by Israel" are "genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group".

In an online briefing this morning, Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy says Israel will appear before the ICJ "to dispel South Africa's absurd blood libel".

"We assure South Africa's leaders, history will judge you, and it will judge you without mercy," he adds.

South Africa, which has been a staunch supporter of Palestinians, has been highly critical of Israel's military operation in Gaza.

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Israel’s war cabinet and its security cabinet are due to meet in Tel Aviv tonight to discuss plans for “the day after” the war in Gaza, according to Israeli reports. The government has been criticised for previously delaying talks on such a crucial issue.

The US, Israel’s closest ally, has been pushing for a clear plan on who will govern Gaza after the war so that the Israeli military does not remain indefinitely in the territory. Its Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is scheduled to return to the Middle East this week.

Israeli media suggest that the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing opposition from his far-right coalition partners about Gaza's future.

The official government position is that Gazans will be able to return to their homes after the fighting. However, this week both the Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, have been calling for Palestinians to leave the strip.

The two men are part of the security cabinet but not the war cabinet and objected to key decisions being made there in their absence.

"What needs to be done in the Gaza Strip is to encourage emigration," Mr Smotrich told Army Radio on Sunday. He said that Israeli settlers should be allowed to return to “make the desert bloom.”

Such comments stir up fears in the Arab world that Israel intends to displace Palestinians by force from Gaza.