The Hamas Leader Khalil Al-Hayyah Was Not Assassinated in the Israeli Raid With Saleh Al-Arouri
The Claim
Israel killed The Hamas Leader Khalil Al-Hayyah in the Israeli Raid With Saleh Al-Arouri.
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Accounts and pages on the social media platform X have recently been circulating news about the alleged assassination of Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayyah. It is claimed that he was killed alongside Saleh Al-Arouri, the Deputy Chief of Hamas' Political Bureau, during an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, last Tuesday, January 2.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be fake. The Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayyah was not killed during the Israeli strike that targeted Hamas officials in the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, yesterday evening. The Hamas movement did not announce his assassination when it released the names of those targeted in the strike.
Hamas Sources Deny the Assassination of Khalil Al-Hayyah in Lebanon
Hamas sources have refuted the circulating reports about the assassination of Khalil Al-Hayyah, confirming his presence outside Lebanon. This clarification follows the initial spread of the news through Israeli accounts after the announcement of the assassinations of Saleh Al-Arouri and other Hamas leaders.
The Assassination of the Hamas Leader Saleh Al-Arouri
The Israeli occupation carried out an assassination last Tuesday evening, targeting Saleh Al-Arouri, Deputy Chief of Hamas' Political Bureau, and several other Hamas leaders in an airstrike using a drone on the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
News agencies reported that the airstrike struck the Hamas office during a meeting of Palestinian factions. They indicated that 'two missiles targeted the Hamas office and the parked accompanying vehicles in front of the building.
Hamas Reveals Names of Leaders Killed in the Israeli Airstrike
Hamas' Political Bureau Chief, Ismail Haniyeh, disclosed the names of other Hamas members killed in the assassination operation targeting his deputy, Saleh Al-Arouri. He confirmed the deaths of two leaders from Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement: Samir Afandi and Azzam Al-Aqra'a. Additionally, four other members, namely Mahmoud Zaki Shahin, Mohammed Bashasha, Mohammed Al-Reis, and Ahmed Hamoud, were reported killed.
In a televised address following the assassination, Haniyeh emphasized that ""A movement whose leaders and founders fall as martyrs for the dignity of our people and our nation will never be defeated." Also, Haniyeh vowed the targeted killing would increase Hamas’s “strength, toughness, and unyielding determination.”
Hezbollah Vows Revenge for the Assassination of Al-Arouri
Lebanon's Hezbollah vowed revenge following the assassination of Saleh Al-Arouri. In a statement after the operation, they declared that "Israel's crime would not go unpunished." Hezbollah considered "the assassination of Al-Arouri and his associates in Beirut's southern suburb as a severe assault on Lebanon, its people, security, sovereignty, and resistance, bearing profound political and security implications."
Media sources reported the Israeli army's announcement of heightened readiness along the Lebanese border early on Wednesday, January 3, shortly after the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri. Additionally, the occupation confirmed the reinforcement of the Iron Dome system along Lebanon's border and the Galilee region.
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