Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas' number two, died Tuesday night during an alleged Israeli drone offensive in Beirut, Lebanon. Several Lebanese media outlets reported the death of al-Arouri, along with five others, from two drones reportedly belonging to the Israeli army.

As detailed by the AP, the event took place in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, where one of the main strongholds of the Hezbollah terrorist group is located. There, two drones fired at a building and a vehicle, killing six people, including Saleh al-Arouri. After the attack, various Lebanese media report, several citizens sighted Israeli fighter planes over Beirut and Khalde, as well as in other areas of Lebanon.

The Lebanese media were quick to attribute responsibility for the attack to Israel. However, neither the Israeli government nor the Israel Defense Forces claimed responsibility for the offensive, saying that they do not make statements to foreign media.

Mark Regev, advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, did speak. He assured to MSNBC in statements reported by Reuters that Israel had not taken responsibility for the attack but that he was sure that the offensive was not "an attack on the Lebanese state":

Threats from Hamas and Hezbollah

Reactions to the death of Saleh al-Arouri were immediate. Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the political bureau of the terrorist organization, assured in statements reported by The Jerusalem Post that the attack would not be able to break "the will and steadfastness of our people":

Harsher were the words of Mikati, the interim Lebanese prime minister. He condemned the attack and ensured that the offensive forced Lebanon to enter a "new phase of confrontations" against Israel: "The explosion is an Israeli crime that definitely aims to bring Lebanon into a new phase of confrontations after the ongoing daily attacks in the south," he declared.