A joint Mossad/IDF military intelligence operation in Lebanon has led to the death of numerous top Hamas leaders.

Saleh al-Arouri, the leader of Hamas' military operations in the West Bank and the man responsible for facilitating money and weapons transfers for the group since the 1980s, and others were killed when the building in which they were meeting with other "resistance factions" in Beirut was bombed.

Multiple reports confirm that Hamas Deputy Head Saleh al-Arouri and senior leaders Osama Hamdan and Khalil al-Hayya have been killed in an explosion in Beirut.

A powerful reminder to Hamas leadership that Israel will find them and target them.

No matter where. No matter when. pic.twitter.com/oTtv3dFFyR

— Eli Kowaz (@elikowaz) January 2, 2024

Reports indicate that Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas' deputy political director in Gaza, Abu Amar, head of Hamas forces in southern Lebanon, and Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan were also killed, but those identities have not been confirmed.

Salah Al Aruri wasn't only meeting Hamas officials. He was reportedly meeting other "resistance factions" leaders. This means that he was probably meeting with Hamas, Fatah, and other Palestinian and Lebanese terror groups' leaders.

This was a brilliant hit by Israel, and the… https://t.co/R7Ey1zyrdg

— Khaled Hassan (@Khaledhzakariah) January 2, 2024

According to journalist Yossi Melman, the targeted strike was part of a Mossad/IDF military intelligence joint operation.

About six weeks before the October 7 surprise attacks, al-Arouri gave an exclusive interview to Lebanese news outlet  Al Mayadeen in which he said the group was coordinating with "all relevant parties" in preparation for an "all-out war." He alleged that some in Netanyahu's government wanted "a major conflict" and would conduct assassinations and "tak[e] control of the Al-Aqsa Mosque" to start it.

"The leaders of the occupation government, with their extremist policies, will cause an all-out war in the region."

"Smotrich desires a major conflict that would allow him to displace Palestinians from the West Bank and the '48 territories. Some in the cabinet are considering actions such as taking control of Al-Aqsa Mosque and dividing it, along with assassinations, knowing that this would lead to a regional war."

The battle for liberation in the West Bank is currently on the table, and Palestine has now entered the era of resolving this conflict, as evidenced by the attempts at the Judaization of the West Bank and the deportation of Palestinians, Al-Arouri pointed out. The breakout of an all-out war is inevitable at this point, he continued.

"We are preparing for an all-out war, and we are closely discussing the prospects of this war with all relevant parties."

Between the time of that interview and October 7 Israel did not carry out assassinations or take control of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, yet this attack occurred anyway, much to al-Arouri's delight.

October 7th: Hamas deputy leader Saleh Al-Arouri (on the left, next to the flag) thanks Allah for Hamas' rape, beheading, mutilating, lynching, and burning of 1,200 Israeli civilians, and kidnapping of hundreds 👇

Today he was eliminated in Beirut 🎯 pic.twitter.com/J094gD8JnO

— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) January 2, 2024

On October 20, USA Today reported that Israel had "launched an international manhunt" for al-Arouri. The article, headlined "He's a key link between Hamas and Iran. Now Israel is hunting the world to find him," contains some other interesting nuggets that haven't been highlighted enough regarding Hamas' capabilities (emphasis mine):

They’re pursuing him not just for his insider knowledge of the attack but for his ties to others – possibly those “relevant parties” he cited in August.

The attack went far beyond what was expected from Hamas alone. A mass border invasion. Drones and paragliders. Withering rocket fire. Precise raids on military surveillance, communications and intelligence hubs. Those plans bear the hallmarks of sophisticated backers from the outside.

Current and former intelligence officials say Arouri sits at a strategic intersection of three entities: Hamas; Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based terrorist group that is considered the world’s most formidable; and Iran, the world’s deadliest state sponsor of terrorism. 

Al-Arouri had been expelled from both Qatar and Turkey because of his terrorist activities, and the U.S. government announced in 2018 that it would pay a reward of $5 million for information leading to his arrest. His page at Counter Extremism Project lists quite the resume:

• Saleh al-Arouri was a U.S.-designated Hamas military leader and financier who was reportedly expelled from Qatar in June 2017.
• Hamas elected Arouri as deputy leader of its political bureau in October 2017.
• Arouri had facilitated money and weapons transfers for Hamas since the 1980s and helped found the West Bank branch of Hamas’s military wing.
• Arouri allegedly coordinated the June 2014 kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, which sparked that summer’s conflict between Israel and Hamas.
• He also reportedly created and ran Hamas’s bureau in Turkey until his expulsion from the country in 2015.
• The U.S. Treasury accused Arouri of serving as “a key financier and financial facilitator for Hamas military cells planning attacks and fomenting unrest.”
• In November 2018, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Arouri’s arrest.

Rewards for Justice poster of Saleh Al-Arouri. pic.twitter.com/i2hepyxDoI

— FJ (@Natsecjeff) January 2, 2024

An important point to remember when considering the legality of this killing is that Israel officially declared war against Hamas, a political and legal entity that is the official governing body in Gaza, after the October 7 attacks, and al-Arouri was a commander in Hamas' military.

It's widely expected that the "resistance factions" will attempt some kind of retaliation against Israel for this strike; coordination for such will be more difficult since al-Arouri was a lynchpin for communications and money and weapons transfers. The IDF says they are prepared for any retaliation.

“The IDF is in a very high state of readiness in all arenas, in defense and offense. We are highly prepared for any scenario. The most important thing to say tonight is that we are focused and remain focused on fighting Hamas.” - Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, IDF Spokesperson pic.twitter.com/3D6ImrjymE

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 2, 2024

Back to that August interview with the Muslim Brotherhood propaganda outlet. In it, al-Arouri said:

"We are believers, and we hope to conclude our lives with martyrdom, which we hold in high esteem, and that is the great victory in our eyes."

It's heartwarming that the IDF could assist al-Arouri in meeting that goal.