A worker carries power cables passes in front of an apartment building where an apparent Israeli strike Tuesday killed top Hamas leader Saleh Arouri, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (AP/Hussein Malla)
A high-level Lebanese security official claims Israel fired guided missiles from a warplane to kill Hamas number two Saleh al-Arouri in a Beirut suburb Tuesday
“Arouri was killed in strikes using guided missiles which were launched by an Israeli warplane,” the official says, requesting anonymity because of security concerns.
“A drone could not have carried out such a precise strike,” says the official with knowledge of the official Lebanese investigation into Arouri’s killing.
Palestinian demonstrators wave Hamas flags and shout slogans during a protest following the killing of top Hamas official Saleh Arouri in Beirut, in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (AP/Mahmoud Illean)
Pictures from the scene Wednesday showed heavy damage to part of a building, with the rest of the structure and neighboring ones appearing largely unscathed, indicating the precise nature of the strike.
According to the official, the guided missiles used in the attack weigh around 100 kilos (220 pounds), making them too heavy to have been fired by a drone.
Six missiles were used in Tuesday’s attack, four of which exploded, the official says.
Two of the missiles that detonated pierced through two floors and exploded in a room where Arouri was holding a meeting with other Hamas officials, the source adds.
A preliminary investigation by the Lebanese army indicated that remnants of the missiles match those used by the Israeli army during cross-border exchanges with Hezbollah and other pro-Iran groups in southern Lebanon, the source says.
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Wednesday, January 3, 2024
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