Fears over escalating Gaza war after strike kills Hamas deputy in Lebanon

The Israeli army says it is "prepared for any scenario" after a strike in Beirut killed Hamas's deputy chief, stoking fears the war in the Gaza Strip could boil over into wider regional conflict.

Hamas deputy head Saleh al-Arouri and two commanders from its armed wing were killed in a blast on Tuesday. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after their deadly attacks on October 7, and although they did not confirm whether it was responsible for the explosion in Lebanon, they described it as a "surgical strike" on the group. 

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari added that the military was in "very high state of readiness in all arenas, in defense and offence."

Israel has previously announced the deaths in Gaza of Hamas commanders and officials during the war, but Arouri is the most high-profile figure to be killed, and his death came in the first strike on the Lebanese capital since hostilities began.

Hamas said Arouri's death would not lead to its defeat, while its Lebanon-based ally Hezbollah vowed the killing would not go unpunished, calling it "a serious assault on Lebanon and a dangerous development." Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the killing and said it "aims to draw Lebanon" further into the war.

The assassination was a further sign that the nearly three-month war between Israel and Hamas was spreading across the region, drawing in the occupied West Bank, Hezbollah forces on the Lebanon-Israel border, and even Red Sea shipping lanes.

The heavily armed Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israel across Lebanon's southern border since the Gaza war began. More than 100 Hezbollah fighters and two dozen civilians have been killed on Lebanese territory, as well as at least nine Israeli soldiers in their home country.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israel to "avoid any escalatory attitude, particularly in Lebanon." Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned the killing, and warned about the "risks and consequences that could follow."

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expressed their concern at the potential for escalation that could have devastating consequences for people on both sides of the Blue Line, spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said. "We continue to implore all parties to cease their fire, and any interlocutors with influence to urge restraint," she said.

Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people, most of them civilians. Militants also took around 250 hostages back to Hamas-ruled Gaza, of whom 129 remain in captivity, according to Israeli figures.

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After the attack, the worst in its history, Israel began a relentless bombardment and ground offensive that has killed at least 22,313 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry on Wednesday. The toll includes 128 people killed over the past 24 hours, the ministry added, while the fighting has also wounded 57,296.

Israel's army said soldiers in Gaza had killed "dozens of terrorists" in fighting on Tuesday, and had also raided a weapons storage compound in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Further south, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said Israel had twice struck its headquarters, resulting in "five casualties and three injuries" among displaced people who had sought refuge there and at a nearby hospital. The head of the World Health Organization denounced the alleged strikes as "unconscionable."

UN agencies have voiced alarm over Gaza's spiraling humanitarian crisis, which has left 2.4 million people under siege, most of them displaced and crowded into shelters and tents during winter rains.

On Tuesday the UK said a British ship had delivered 87 tons of Gaza aid to Egypt from Cyprus, the first shipment via a new maritime corridor from the Mediterranean island.

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