The US sees no signs that Israel was behind the death of Hamas number two
White House Security Spokesman John Kirbyassured that There is no evidence that Israel was behind the attack in Beirut, Lebanon, that ended the life of “Number Two.” the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Salé for theArurialthough it reaffirmed the right of the Israeli government to prosecute senior figures in the Palestinian militia.
“I do not confirm that the Israelis carried out this airstrike. I would refer you to them to discuss their military operations. (…) Israel has the right and responsibility to pursue the threat posed by Hamas. That means it has the right and responsibility to prosecute its leaders,” Kirby said during a press conference.
When asked about US estimates of Palestinian militia casualties, the spokesman declined to give a number, asserting that there was still one “significant force” present in the Gaza Strip, and has insisted that military action would eradicate not “the ideology” but “the threat.”
“We do not believe that military strikes alone can eradicate an ideology. And they probably won’t get rid of every single Hamas fighter.” We must accept the fact that some Hamas may still exist even when the military operation is over,” Kirby said.
“What they can do is eliminate the threat that Hamas poses to the Israeli people. And they can do it.” Hunt down its leadership, attack its infrastructure, pursue its resources. And we've shown it with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda (…) that they still exist, but they no longer pose anywhere near the kind of threat they once did,” he added.