Deputy Hamas chief Saleh al-Arouri was killed on Tuesday night in an Israeli drone strike on Beirut's southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, a stronghold of the allied Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, signalling the conflict between Hamas and Israel could be expanding to engulf more of the region.
In response to questions from Reuters, the Israeli military said it does not respond to reports in the foreign media.
Lebanon's national news agency said the drone struck a Hamas office. Two security sources said the strike had targeted a meeting between Hamas officials and Lebanon's Sunni Islamist Jama'a Islamiya faction and left a total of four Palestinians and three Lebanese dead.
The strike marks the first targeted assassination of a Hamas official outside Palestinian territories since the Palestinian group's deadly assault on Israeli territory on Oct. 7.
Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told MSNBC that Israel had not taken responsibility for this attack, but "whoever did it, it must be clear: That this was not an attack on the Lebanese state."
"Whoever did this did a surgical strike against the Hamas leadership," Regev said in the interview.
Arouri was deputy head of Hamas's politburo and a founder of its military wing, the Qassam Brigades.
He had spent time recently in both Lebanon and Qatar, which has mediated talks between Hamas and Israel including on hostages Hamas took in its Oct. 7 assault. The U.S., which brands Hamas a terrorist group, had last year offered US$5 million for information on Arouri.
Hamas confirmed Arouri's killing and said Qassam Brigade officials Samir Findi Abu Amer and Azzam Al-Aqraa Abu Ammar were also killed.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday said Arouri's killing is "terrorist act," a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and an expansion of Israel's hostility against Palestinians.
Islamic Jihad vowed revenge in a statement, saying: "This crime will not go unpunished and the resistance will continue until the occupation is removed."
People stand outside a building after an explosion in southern Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Iran said the killing would further galvanize the fight against Israel, while Yemen's Houthi movement expressed condolences.
In Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, hundreds took to the streets to urge retaliation, shouting "Revenge, revenge, Qassam."
A Reuters witness in Dahiyeh saw firefighters and paramedics gathered around a multi-story building with a gaping hole in what appeared to be the third floor. Limbs and other pieces of flesh could be seen on the roadside.
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati called the strike a "new Israeli crime" and said it was an attempt to pull Lebanon into war. His office said he asked Lebanon's foreign minister to file a complaint to the United Nations Security Council.
In a written statement, Hezbollah said the attack "will not go without a response or punishment," adding that the resistance has "its finger on the trigger." It announced an attack on Israeli forces across the border but did not specify whether it was in response to Arouri's killing.
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah plans an address on Wednesday to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the killing of Iranian Quds Force chief Qassem Suleimani in a U.S. drone strike on Baghdad.
In a televised speech in August, Nasrallah had cautioned Israel against carrying out any assassinations on Lebanese soil, vowing a "severe reaction."
Hezbollah controls security in the southern suburb of Dahiyeh. In 2019, two Israeli drones crashed in the district.
Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israel since Hamas carried out the Oct. 7 attack, but the violence has mostly been limited to the border region between Lebanon and Israel.
Israeli air strikes and shelling have killed more than 100 Hezbollah fighters and nearly two dozen civilians since then, including children, elderly people and several journalists.
Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 240 were taken hostage on Oct. 7. Israel has responded with a nearly three-month-old offensive in Hamas-run Gaza where Palestinian health officials say the death toll has surpassed 22,000.
(Reporting by Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam; Additional reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi; Editing by William Maclean, Howard Goller and David Gregorio)
A wildfire evacuation alert for some Fort McMurray residents has been updated to a two-hour evacuation notice.
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.
A bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida overturned on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about 40 other passengers, authorities said.
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.
A wildfire evacuation alert for some Fort McMurray residents has been updated to a two-hour evacuation notice.
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
A wildfire in the community of Fort Nelson has significantly expanded as residents in British Columbia's northeast receive more mandatory evacuation orders.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A forensic DNA expert called as a witness in the trial of admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki testified the DNA of his four victims was found in his apartment. Still, efforts to identify one of the victims were unsuccessful.
A bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida overturned on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about 40 other passengers, authorities said.
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
For decades, police across the United States have been warned that the common tactic of handcuffing someone facedown could turn deadly if officers pin them on the ground with too much pressure or for too long.
The broiling summer of 2023 was the hottest in the Northern Hemisphere in more than 2,000 years, a new study found.
Protesters against the war between Israel and Hamas were voluntarily taking down their tents in Harvard Yard on Tuesday after university officials agreed to discuss their questions about the endowment, bringing a peaceful end to the kinds of demonstrations that were broken up by police on other campuses.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that American military aid on its way to Ukraine will make a 'real difference' on the battlefield, as the top diplomat made an unannounced visit to reassure an ally facing a fierce new Russian offensive.
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
Federal Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre says the Conservatives will put forward legislation that would forbid Ottawa from "ever" granting provinces exemptions to allow illicit drug use in hospitals.
The foreign minister of the Philippines wants closer business and military ties with Canada, saying the two countries can help maintain the post-war order in the Indo-Pacific by maintaining peaceful relations with both the U.S. and China.
Eating enough healthy fats is great for brain and heart health, but new research has possibly provided even more evidence for adding them, particularly omega-3s, to your diet.
New analyses of the longest clinical trial yet of the weight-loss drug Wegovy are shedding light on how quickly it helps people lose weight, how long they sustain that weight loss and how safe the medicine is over four years of use.
A woman says her husband was turned away from a Saskatchewan detox facility because of a disability he lives with, which brought the centre under scrutiny in the legislature on Monday.
Eight TikTok content creators sued the U.S. government on Tuesday, issuing another challenge to the new federal law that would ban the popular social media platform nationwide if its China-based parent company doesn’t sell its stakes within a year.
High-level envoys from the United States and China are set to meet in Geneva on Tuesday for talks about artificial intelligence.
A day after OpenAI impressed with a startlingly improved ChatGPT AI model, Google showed off its vision for how AI will improve the products that billions of people use every day.
Beneath intermittent rainy skies, the Cannes Film Festival opened Tuesday with the presentation of an honourary Palme d'Or for Meryl Streep and the unveiling of Greta Gerwig’s jury, as the French Riviera spectacular kicked off a potentially volatile 77th edition.
Ellen DeGeneres is reflecting on how her talk show came to an end in her newest Netflix special, 'Ellen's Last Stand ... Up Tour.'
A British Columbia castle is hosting Hollywood royalty this week as filming gets underway on a supernatural love story spanning seven decades.
GameStop and AMC Entertainment have again captured retail investors' attention, reminiscent of "the meme stock frenzy" that gripped Wall Street three years ago.
A day after OpenAI impressed with a startlingly improved ChatGPT AI model, Google showed off its vision for how AI will improve the products that billions of people use every day.
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
The 148th Westminster show kicked off Saturday, and Monday marked the start of the traditional judging that leads to the best in show prize, to be awarded Tuesday night.
Since using weight loss medication, Allie Olivares has quieted the voice of her eating disorder in her brain while getting more comfortable running around with her six-year-old. But other challenges emerged.
Minnesota Timberwolves centre Rudy Gobert was fined US$75,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for another 'inappropriate and unprofessional gesture' that suggested a lack of integrity with the league and its game officials.
The Edmonton Oilers appear to be making a change in net for Game 4 against the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night.
Veteran defensive lineman Shawn Lemon is on the field at Montreal Alouettes training camp Tuesday despite facing a suspension for sports gambling.
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
Amazon's self-driving robotaxi unit is being investigated by the U.S. government's highway safety agency after two of its vehicles braked suddenly and were rear-ended by motorcyclists.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
A TransLink bus was dispatched to Sasamat Lake in Port Moody Friday night as police dealt with 'hundreds of intoxicated youths at closing time.'
Federal Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre says the Conservatives will put forward legislation that would forbid Ottawa from "ever" granting provinces exemptions to allow illicit drug use in hospitals.
Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health is stepping down.
Two people have been injured, one critically, in a multi-vehicle collision involving a school bus in Scarborough.
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
Students at John G. Diefenbaker Highschool and St. Helena School returned to classes Tuesday morning after a teenage boy was stabbed in a field after classes were out on Monday.
A Calgary man has been charged with first-degree murder after human remains were discovered west of the city in April.
Calgary's iconic Rose and Crown pub closed its doors for good last year, but the building will soon be home to another bar.
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.
An 11-year-old boy has died after a collision with a school bus while bicycling in Rockland, Ont., according to police.
A new magazine ranking has confirmed what most Montrealers already know: the city is home to some of the best restaurants in the country.
Two Montreal businesses are apologizing after a video circulating on social media showed a man throwing water on a homeless person sleeping outside of a Chinatown storefront.
All health-care sectors are facing significant staff shortages, but it's a major problem in the pharmaceutical industry, whether in pharmacies or hospitals, says the president of the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec (OPQ).
A wildfire evacuation alert for some Fort McMurray residents has been updated to a two-hour evacuation notice.
The associate dean of equity, diversity and inclusion in the University of Alberta's faculty of arts resigned Monday over the removal of student protesters from the school's campus, citing an inability to do the job.
The Edmonton Oilers appear to be making a change in net for Game 4 against the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night.
A Halifax restaurant has been named as one of the best in the country.
A 17-year-old male from Nasonworth, N.B., has been charged with second-degree murder following the death of a 34-year-old man in the community.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Health Canada has issued a recall for a dietary supplement saying there are undeclared drugs in the supplement and it could cause serious health risks.
A forensic DNA expert called as a witness in the trial of admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki testified the DNA of his four victims was found in his apartment. Still, efforts to identify one of the victims were unsuccessful.
If you’re in the St. Vital area, you may want to conserve your phone battery.
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of crimes against children dating back to 2005.
One man is in custody following an investigation that saw over a kilogram of cocaine seized as well as an array of drug trafficking paraphernalia.
A woman says her husband was turned away from a Saskatchewan detox facility because of a disability he lives with, which brought the centre under scrutiny in the legislature on Monday.
Kitchener city councillors voted in favour of giving THEMUSEUM $300,000 to avoid being forced to close.
Waterloo Regional Police have arrested a woman in connection to a fraud investigation that has seen authorities lay more than 50 charges, and recover nine stolen vehicles.
Red Cross is helping 12 people who were displaced following an apartment fire in Cambridge.
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of crimes against children dating back to 2005.
The City of Saskatoon, the fire department, and the police service are uniting to launch nearly a dozen initiatives in hopes of cracking down on crime and improving safety.
The end of the school year and a looming fall election are putting additional pressure on the province to strike a deal with Saskatchewan teachers, according to two political scientists.
The search for a missing northeastern Ontario man has come to a tragic end after his remains were identified.
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
A sexual assault victim was seriously injured and numerous police officers were attacked in an incident last weekend in northwestern Ontario.
One person has been taken to hospital with serious injuries after a vehicle tumbled approximately 30 meters down a steep embankment along Highbury Avenue, near Highway 401.
It’s happened again. The Talbot Street rail overpass has claimed another large vehicle.
One person is dead and a second is injured following a blaze in London’s northeast end. Nearly 30 firefighters on eight London Fire Department vehicles arrived at 1600 Nairn Ave. at approximately 8:30 a.m.
Residents in Simcoe County were treated to an unusual sight as recently retired Royal Canadian Air Force jet trainers were towed to their new home at 16 Wing/CFB Borden.
The County of Simcoe is proposing introducing measures to ensure residents participate in its organics program after a recent audit revealed that nearly half of the waste tossed into garbage carts didn't belong there.
Simcoe County was under a severe thunderstorm warning with the potential for strong winds up to 90 kilometres per hour, toonie-sized hail, and heavy downpours on Monday.
A Windsor police cruiser was involved in a collision with a pickup truck.
Windsor police bail compliance members have arrested a 24-year-old murder suspect following repeated violations of his bail conditions after he was charged in 2018.
Windsor police have located a missing 41-year-old woman.
A British Columbia castle is hosting Hollywood royalty this week as filming gets underway on a supernatural love story spanning seven decades.
British Columbia is launching a two-year pilot program to integrate before- and after-school child care into classrooms and other school spaces.
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
One person is dead after a fight in Penticton early Sunday morning, according to authorities.
A suspect is at large after robbing a convenience store at gunpoint in Merritt, B.C., Friday, according to local police.
After four targeted shootings in four days, Mounties in Kamloops are taking the unusual step of warning the public about two men they believe are likely to be targeted in future violent incidents.
Two people were killed and another was seriously injured in a crash in southern Alberta on Sunday.
Some Lethbridge charities are having a hard time staffing volunteers, saying the number of people willing to donate their time to non-profits over the years has decreased.
Thousands of messages were sent between a teenage girl in the U.S. and an Alberta man posing as a young boy, a police investigation has revealed.
Few details have been made available, but there is an increased police presence in the First Nation of Wiikwemkoong on Tuesday afternoon.
An Elliot Lake man is one of northern Ontario's latest lottery winners after winning $100,000 playing the Encore.
Ontario’s police watchdog has been called in after multiple shootings in Sault Ste. Marie took place last weekend.
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Health officials say there is an outbreak of whooping cough in eastern Newfoundland.
Ontario Provincial Police are facing tough questions about their search for a missing Newfoundland trucker whose rig was found two weeks ago in Ontario, then sent back to Newfoundland, where his body was found Monday in the trailer.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
