The Al Akhbar newspaper reported Wednesday morning that Israel has "decided to break" the rules vis-à-vis Lebanon and cross a red line set by Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah several months ago. The newspaper mentioned the terrorist organization's response last night, according to which the assassination of senior Hamas figure Salah Arouri would not go unpunished or responded.
Another angle on the scene of the assassination in Beirut // Arab networks
Despite reports that Nasrallah has postponed his speech scheduled for today, Al-Akhbar reported that he is expected to speak at six o'clock this evening and explain that Israel has crossed a red line. The cover of the newspaper itself was dedicated to an illustration of Arouri with the inscription: "Welcome to martyrdom."
"All options are open"
The newspaper said: "Hours before Hezbollah marked the anniversary of the assassination of former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, Israel decided to violate the rules of confrontation with Lebanon, crossed the red line set by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah several months ago and assassinated Saleh al-Aruri in an airstrike in Beirut's Dahiya quarter."
Meanwhile, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan, whose name came up as a possible assassination last night, said this morning that "Arouri's assassination crime will be met with the appropriate response and all options are open." Yesterday, the Arab media denied that he had been killed in the attack, in which seven other Hamas terrorist operatives were killed besides Arouri.
Watch: The moment of al-Arouri's assassination in Beirut
Yesterday, the pro-Qatari newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadid reported, citing Egyptian sources, that Cairo had informed senior Israeli officials that it was suspending its participation in mediation efforts with the terrorist organizations in Gaza. This was in response to Arouri's assassination in Beirut. According to the report, the Israeli delegation in Cairo was forced to interrupt its visit to the country.
Saudi media also reported yesterday that Hamas had announced the freezing of talks to release hostages. According to a report in Al-Sharq, Hamas announced the freezing of the contacts, which, it claimed, had exploded following al-Arouri's assassination.
Despite these statements, it should be noted that Arouri was one of the most radical elements in the negotiations. Hezbollah itself stressed in its statement yesterday the "principle of patience," which means it will reserve the right to respond at a time and place that suits it.
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