War in the Middle East: There is a risk of escalation after the death of Hamas leader

The killing of a leader of the Islamist Hamas in Lebanon has led to a further dangerous escalation of the conflict with Israel and torpedoed negotiations to release hostages in the Gaza Strip.

While Israel’s military declined to comment on reports of a targeted killing of Saleh al-Aruri, Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia announced retaliation on Tuesday evening: “This crime will never pass without response or punishment.” The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that progress towards reaching a hostage deal is no longer possible, citing Arab diplomatic circles.

Hamas and Hezbollah blame Israel

The deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau was killed in an explosion in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, as the German Press Agency learned from Hezbollah circles on Tuesday evening. According to Hamas, which is allied with Hezbollah, a total of seven people died, including two leaders of Hamas’ armed wing. The terrorist organization immediately blamed Israel.

Al-Aruri, whom Israel saw as the mastermind of attacks in the West Bank, had long been considered a possible target. He is said to have been responsible for the activities of the Hamas military wing in the West Bank. However, Israel took no responsibility for al-Aruri’s killing, as the Israeli government’s security advisor emphasized.

Israel’s security advisor tries to defuse the situation

“Whoever did this, it must be clear that this was not an attack on the Lebanese state. It was not even an attack on Hezbollah,” Mark Regev told US television station MSNBC in an apparent effort to defuse the explosives Location. The alleged attack was aimed solely at Hamas.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on the Israeli government to “avoid any escalatory behavior, especially in Lebanon.” The Elysee Palace in Paris announced this on Tuesday evening after Macron’s phone call with Benny Gantz, minister in Israel’s war cabinet, according to media reports. France will continue to convey these messages of restraint to all actors directly or indirectly involved in the area, it said.

Hezbollah leader plans speech

Since the beginning of the Gaza war after the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7th, there have been repeated confrontations between Israel’s army and Hezbollah in the Israeli-Lebanese border region. There were deaths on both sides. There are fears that the killing of al-Aruri could now escalate the conflict. There could be indications of this today – in a speech planned for the evening by Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah.

First retaliatory attack against Israel

Its fighters are “at the highest level of readiness,” Hezbollah said on Tuesday. According to their own statements, the militia carried out their first attack on a group of Israeli soldiers near the border that evening. There were deaths and injuries. According to Israeli media reports, the army is now expecting rocket fire from longer ranges. The Shiite Hezbollah is considered to be significantly more powerful than Hamas.

Hezbollah’s tunnel system comes into focus

Like Hamas, it is also said to have a tunnel system that, according to a media report, is far more sophisticated than Hamas’s. The underground tunnels ran for hundreds of kilometers in southern Lebanon all the way to the border with Israel, the Times of Israel quoted intelligence expert Tal Beeri as saying on Tuesday.

Hamas uses its own network of tunnels to protect itself from Israel’s massive bombings and to hide. The terrorists also use the tunnels to appear out of nowhere and attack the advancing Israeli soldiers from behind. The terrorists are also said to be holding hostages from Israel there.

Report: No prospect of negotiating hostage deal

With the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the USA, Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire lasting several days at the end of November. During this time, some hostages were released from Israeli prisons in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. After the alleged killing of al-Aruri, negotiations over a possible new hostage agreement between the warring parties have come to a standstill, according to the Haaretz newspaper.

The talks now focused on preventing an escalation between Israel and Lebanon, the Israeli newspaper reported on Tuesday evening, citing Arab diplomatic circles. The “assassination” changed the situation.

USA sharply criticizes Israeli ministers

Meanwhile, the US State Department sharply criticized statements from Israel’s government about a possible expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. “The United States rejects recent statements by Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir supporting the relocation of Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Tuesday.

“This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible,” he said. The right-wing extremist police minister Ben-Gvir banned any criticism from the USA on the matter: “I value the United States of America very much, but with all due respect, Israel is not another star on the American flag,” he wrote on X and added : “The United States is our good friend, but above all we will do what is best for Israel.”

New WHO allegations against Israel’s army

The World Health Organization (WHO) meanwhile accused Israel of “unconscionable” attacks on a hospital in the embattled city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service, at least five civilians were killed in the attacks, including a five-day-old infant, wrote WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the online platform X, formerly Twitter.

What is important today

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah’s speech is eagerly awaited. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in the embattled Gaza Strip remains catastrophic.