An apparent Israeli strike killed a top Hamas commander. How might it impact the Gaza conflict?
The killing of a top Hamas commander in an apparent Israeli airstrike on a Beirut apartment has given Israel an important symbolic achievement in its 3-month-old war against the Islamic militant group
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The killing of a top Hamas commander in an apparent Israeli airstrike on a Beirut apartment has given Israel an important symbolic achievement in its 3-month-old war against the Islamic militant group.
But history has shown the benefits of such dramatic operations are often short-lived, bringing on further violence and equally formidable replacements as leaders of militant groups.
The drone strike on Saleh Arouri, the deputy political head of Hamas and a founder of the group’s military wing, follows a long line of suspected Israeli killings of senior militant leaders over the years.
While Israel did not claim responsibility for Tuesday's blast, it had all the hallmarks of an Israeli attack. Both Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group immediately blamed Israel and could soon respond.
