The leader of Hezbollah has condemned the “dangerous” killing of Hamas’s deputy leader, and warned Israel there will be “no ceiling and no rules” if it wages war on Lebanon.

Hassan Nasrallah vowed his militant group “will not be silent” following the killing of Saleh al Arouri in a drone strike in southern Beirut yesterday.

Hezbollah, which – like Hamas – is backed by Iran, has claimed Israel was behind the attack.

But Tel Aviv has not confirmed or denied it carried it out, with an Israeli government adviser saying “whoever did this did a surgical strike against the Hamas leadership”.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Hezbollah leader warns Israel in speech – live updates

Fears of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza growing into a wider conflict remain, and in a televised address, Nasrallah said “war with us will be very costly”, adding that anyone waging conflict against Lebanon “will regret it” as Hezbollah will fight “until the end”.

He offered his condolences to Hamas for what he called a “flagrant Israeli aggression” on Tuesday night that killed al Arouri.

It was the first strike to hit Lebanon’s capital following nearly three months of almost daily clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah which have been confined to the border region.

Hezbollah launched rockets across the border on 8 October in support of Hamas.

A day earlier, Hamas had carried out a deadly assault in southern Israel that prompted a fierce Israeli bombing campaign of the Gaza Strip.

Nasrallah claims his group’s “quick” actions on 8 October, and the cross-border shelling since then, had stopped a broader aerial bombardment of Lebanon by Israel.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Al Arouri, 57, is the first senior Hamas political leader to be assassinated since Israel began its offensive against the Palestinian militant group in response to its 7 October assault.

Speaking to MSNBC, Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, described yesterday’s drone attack as a “surgical strike against the Hamas leadership” and not an attack on the Lebanese state or Hezbollah.

Read more:
Who is Saleh al Arouri?
UN agency claims aid convoy was hit by Israeli gunfire

Al Arouri was one of the founders of Hamas’s military wing and the deputy leader of the group’s political bureau. He also headed Hamas’s presence in the West Bank.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the blast in Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburb killed four people and was carried out by an Israeli drone.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Hamas’ Al Aqsa TV said commanders of the group’s armed wing in Lebanon – Samir Findi Abu Amer and Azzam al Aqraa Abu Ammar – were among the dead.

Izzat al Rishq, a member of the political bureau of Hamas, said al Arouri was killed in a “cowardly assassination” by Israel – and warned such attacks “will not succeed in breaking the will and steadfastness of our people, or undermining the continuation of their valiant resistance”.

He added: “It proves once again the abject failure of this enemy to achieve any of its aggressive goals in the Gaza Strip.”

Related posts:

Wembley to stage extra Euro 2020 tie – as Dublin dropped as host due to coronavirus Boris Johnson warns Belarus over ‘deeply distressing’ video of detained journalist Biden and Putin to meet for Geneva summit in June The sound of Mars: Chinese release recording of Martian surface by their rover lander Biles says mental health issues behind withdrawal as she admits: ‘I just didn’t want to go on’ Son of India government minister arrested, accused of killing four farmers North Korean hackers detected searching for COVID vaccine manufacturing secrets Doctor diagnoses woman with ‘climate change’ after breathing problems amid heatwaves and wildfires Ukrainian forces claim to recapture city deep within Russian controlled eastern region Criminal charges galvanise Trump’s base but Stormy Daniels case is not end of his problems Gaza runs out of electricity as ‘major strikes’ launched against Israeli city New documents seen by Sky News show Italy’s migrant deal with Albania is far less radical than UK’s Rwanda plan