The Israeli army is preparing for “any scenario” on Wednesday, January 3, a day after an attack in the suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, was fatal for the No. 2 Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and raised fears of a wider spread of the current conflict that has reignited in the Gaza Strip.
What you need to consider:
■ Six people were killed in an explosion at a Palestinian Hamas office in a Beirut suburb. including Hamas number 2, Saleh Al-Arouri. The attack is blamed on Israel, but Hezbollah assures that it will not go unpunished.
■ An Israeli army spokesman announced that the conflict would continue “all year round” 2024. The reservists take a break for this Prepare for “longer fights.”.
■ Hamas said “open” to the formation of a unified government Palestinians for the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their leader Ismaïl Haniyeh said on Tuesday.
■ According to a new report released by the Hamas Ministry of Health on Monday, January 1, 22,185 People were killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7th. Most of the dead are women, young people and children. There are 57,697 wounded. The Israeli army said Thursday it had killed more than 2 000 Palestinian fighters since the end of the ceasefire at the beginning of December. 167 Israeli soldiers According to the latest army figures, there have been deaths since the Israeli army's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip began on October 27, 2020.
Information in world time.
07:07: Lebanon's Hezbollah warns that the “assassination” of Hamas' number 2 in Lebanon “will not go unpunished.” The Hebrew state does not confirm this attack, but does not deny it either.
After the targeted attack in Beirut, there is still no official claim in Israel, explains our regular correspondent in Jerusalem. Michael Paul. However, an adviser to the Israeli prime minister reiterates that “one thing is clear: this is not an attack against the Lebanese state,” but rather, according to Mark Regev, a “surgical strike” against the leadership of Hamas.
For his part, Benyamin Netanyahu called on members of his government not to comment on the death of Saleh Al-Arouri. This did not stop several ministers and MPs, particularly from the far right, from posting comments on social networks and openly welcoming the targeted assassination of Hamas number 2. A dangerous bet, says one editorialist this morning, while several other columnists argue that the time for restraint is now long past. An angry rally was organized in Aroura, near Ramallah in the West Bank, the home village of Saleh Al-Arouri.
The state of alarm is at its highest in Israel. The Israeli army says it is ready to respond to any scenario. Additional anti-aircraft batteries were stationed, particularly in the north of the country. However, military spokesman General Hagari emphasized that the IDF remains focused on the fight against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The first consequence of the elimination of Saleh Al-Arouri is the freezing of negotiations for the release of the hostages. And that causes great concern for their families. “In any case, we can say this morning that Israel is preparing to respond. With a question: Who will be the author: Hamas or Hezbollah? », concludes our correspondent.
A protest against the killing of senior Hamas official Saleh Al-Arouri in Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 2, 2024. © Raneen Sawafta / Portal
6:35 a.m.: According to Israeli media Haaretz, talks between Israel and Hamas are now focused on preventing an escalation, particularly in northern Israel
Arab diplomatic sources announced this on Tuesday evening Haaretz that the killing of Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut had ended negotiations between Israel and Hamas and that talks were now focused on preventing escalation, particularly in northern Israel.
06:00: The Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah strongly condemn the killing of Hamas number 2, Saleh al-Arouri, in Beirut
This is the first time since the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel that Israeli aircraft have attacked the outskirts of the Lebanese capital. Official Lebanon, Hezbollah and the entire political class believed that this attack on the gates of Beirut was an Israeli provocation and a serious escalation of the war that had been going on for almost three months in the Gaza Strip and on the Lebanese-Israeli border. reports our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh.
Prime Minister Naguib Mikati denounced “a new Israeli crime aimed at dragging Lebanon into a new phase of confrontation, following constant daily attacks in the south of the country, causing a large number of deaths and injuries.” The For its part, Hezbollah believed that this raid on its stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut represented “a dangerous attack on the security and sovereignty of Lebanon, its people and its resistance.” In a press release, the anti-Israel party assures that “this crime will certainly not go unpunished and without response.” Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is expected to address this new Israeli attack in a planned speech this afternoon.
The deaths of Saleh al-Arouri and six other Hamas leaders in Beirut show that the Palestinian Islamist movement has a significant presence in Lebanon. Saleh al-Arouri was both a Hamas political and military figure. One of the senior officials killed alongside him, Samir Fandi, was the leader of the al-Qassam Brigades in Lebanon.
Hamas has a secret military structure that recruits in the twelve Palestinian camps in Lebanon, but also in local Sunni circles. Three of the seven deaths reported on Tuesday are also of Lebanese nationality. Since October 7, Hamas has claimed responsibility for around ten operations from Lebanese territory, mostly rocket attacks. On December 4, Hamas called on young Palestinians to join a new structure called the Al-Aqsa Flood Vanguards, an announcement that caused an outcry in Lebanese political circles.
Also read: The death of Hamas number 2 in the Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut, a turning point in the war?
05:42: According to the US, no damage was reported following the latest Houthi attack in the Red Sea
Iran-backed Houthi fighters fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the southern Red Sea, but no damage was reported, US Central Command (Centcom) said. Several commercial vessels in the area reported the impact of the missiles on surrounding waters, Centcom added.
On Jan. 2, at approximately 9:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), the Iran-backed Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen into the southern Red Sea. Several commercial vessels in the area reported the impact of the ASBMs on the surrounding water… pic.twitter.com/wXpmboqP2g
– US Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 3, 2024
This is the 24th incident of this kind since mid-November, Centcom said on the eve of a UN Security Council peacekeeping meeting on Wednesday, January 3, which, according to French diplomacy, will address the issue of Houthi attacks in the USA should go to Red Sea.
Also read: Under the threat of the Houthis, shipowners are still suspending the traffic of their ships in the Red Sea
05:28: Hamas said it was “open” to forming a single Palestinian government for the West Bank and Gaza Strip, according to its leader Ismaïl Haniyeh
Hasni Abidi, director of the Center for Studies and Research on the Arab and Mediterranean World, explains that Hamas wants to create political unity, initially for the ongoing negotiations, but also because everyone is preparing for the period after October 7th.
Hamas is under considerable pressure. He is under pressure primarily from his sponsors – from several countries who support him politically – but also from the population. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and Hamas draws its strength from its popularity. And so a political construction where his availability to be present and work with the Palestinian Authority will be well viewed by the Palestinians in Gaza. But it is also a maneuver and a strategy on the part of Hamas to, in a sense, cut off the path, to obstruct the demands of Israel, which are aimed at completely eliminating Hamas from any political structure, but also the demands of the United States and certain European states view Hamas as a terrorist organization and [veulent] de facto eliminate them and distance them from any political process.
The analysis by Hasni Abidi, director of the Center for Studies and Research on the Arab and Mediterranean World
Clea Broadhurst
05:23: The Israeli army is preparing for “any scenario” on Wednesday, a day after an attack in the suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, that fatally struck the No. 2 leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas
“The Israel Defense Forces are in a very high state of readiness in all areas, defense and offense. We are well prepared for every scenario. “The most important thing we can say tonight is that we are focused on fighting Hamas and will continue to do so,” army spokesman Daniel Hagari said late Tuesday.
The death of Hamas number 2 revives fears of an expansion of the current conflict in the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday night, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus “deplored” “unacceptable” attacks on a hospital in Khan Younes, southern Gaza, which included damage to local Palestinian Red Crescent facilities. And early Wednesday morning, an AFP journalist reported attacks on Khan Younes in which the Hamas health ministry counted “numerous” deaths.
05:07: The US believes that Hamas used the Al-Chifa hospital in Gaza before the Israeli operation
U.S. intelligence believes that Hamas and Islamic Jihad used the al-Chifa hospital in the Gaza Strip to conduct their operations and capture hostages, but largely evacuated the hospital complex a few days before Israeli troops invaded. an American official said Tuesday evening, citing publicly available information.
The official, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the United States had independently confirmed the information, although the intelligence community had not provided any evidence.
► Find our live from Tuesday, January 2, 2024