Ramallah- From the first moment of the assassination of Saleh Al-Arouri, Deputy Head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), on Tuesday evening, questions have been raised about the form and place of the response to his assassination, and whether the Lebanese Hezbollah will participate in the response or not, as it previously vowed to respond to any operation. Assassination in Lebanon.
In their analysis of the response options, the estimates of analysts in separate conversations with Tel Aviv Tribune Net about the response scenarios ranged between targeting the internal arena with specific operations, especially in the West Bank and inside Israel, and the external arena with assassinations of Israeli figures, which correspond to Al-Arouri in weight.
However, one of them said that it is not necessary for Hamas to respond, given that the conflict continues with the occupation, adding that any external response will change the rules of engagement.
“We are being martyred just as our people are being martyred…we are not a part of it.”
A previous interview with Saleh Al-Arouri, deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, who was assassinated yesterday in the southern suburb of Beirut.
What do you know about Al-Arouri, who spent 18 years of his life in occupation prisons and was deported from Palestine until his assassination? pic.twitter.com/AQFRqGzkrW— AJ+ Arabic (@ajplusarabi) January 3, 2024
Specific goal
Retired Major General Youssef Al-Sharqawi believes that the possibility of a response is very likely, and it may be limited to the Hamas movement, without the participation of Hezbollah.
The Major General also suggested that the military response would be from Hamas and in occupied Palestine only, in the West Bank, Gaza, and the 1948 territories, and with military operations and not missiles.
The retired Major General did not rule out the option of missiles, “if they are against a valuable target with guaranteed and feasible results. Hamas has surprised the world by saying that it has something to do, and may explore hunting a valuable target: a military or political figure.”
Al-Sharqawi believes that there are Hamas sleeper cells in the West Bank that could carry out a response “with a valuable goal.” As for the timing of the response, he said that it is “subject to field conditions and the value of the target.”
For his part, Ayman Youssef, professor of political science at the Arab American University, says that Hamas’ response is possible in several ways, one of which is the response from the West Bank. “The West Bank is a region and an open space, and there is a presence of Hamas and other resistance factions.”
The professor added, “It could be in the West Bank, and it is not a condition specifically set by Hamas. Perhaps other factions will participate in the response, given that Al-Arouri is a unionist figure with a long history and strong relations with everyone.”
Preparedness and alert inside Israel and new instructions for the security and medical sectors after the assassination of Al-Arouri in #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/uN4NT6eoVz
– Tel Aviv Tribune Egypt (@AJA_Egypt) January 3, 2024
West Bank front
Therefore, according to the words of the same political science professor, the West Bank front “contains targets such as settlers and soldiers, through which it is possible to infiltrate the Palestinian interior (48) and carry out operations.” At the same time, he did not rule out that the response would come from Gaza, such as launching rockets or specific operations against some army concentrations. “Even though she is under pressure.”
Regarding the Lebanon front, Ayman Youssef suggested that Hezbollah would take care of it, “The Lebanon front and the foreign front may be left to Hezbollah and Iran if there are responses.”
Unlike his colleagues, the writer and political analyst Ahmed Abu Al-Hija believes that the Hamas movement does not necessarily have a response to Al-Arouri’s assassination, “because the conflict continues with the occupation, and the movement does not deal with the logic of reaction and revenge.”
Abu Al-Hija added, “If the response is part of a plan that serves the resistance project, there will be a response, but if the response is merely a reaction without a plan, there will be no response. This is the prevailing logic of thinking in my estimation.”
He continued that if there was a response and it was limited to Hamas, “there would be no fundamental change in the conflict, including operations in the West Bank or some responses from Lebanon.”
Urgent | “Al-Qassam Brigades”:
“The assassination of Al-Arouri and his brothers on land #Lebanon “It confirms that the enemy is a danger to the nation and that the battlefield with him is open.”
“Assassinating our leaders will not increase our movement and resistance except determination and steadfastness on the path and making the occupation pay the price for its aggression.” pic.twitter.com/lml12mGwvh– Tel Aviv Tribune Palestine (@AJA_Palestine) January 3, 2024
Change the rules of engagement
Here, Abu Al-Hija refers to another option, which is “Hamas going to break the rules of engagement with the occupation outside the occupied territory by carrying out some assassinations, and if it is given valuable hunting in a country where the action does not pose harm to the resistance, it may go in this direction, or towards carrying out joint action.” outside”.
However, it is likely that the West Bank from which Al-Arouri hails, and where the military action began, “has the duty to respond, and thus the possibility of some actions occurring.”
The same spokesman referred to “Hezbollah’s ambiguous position,” as he issued a statement in which he did not clarify the form of the response, adding that the party is on alert and obligated to respond, in cooperation with or without Hamas, “and if it does not do so, the occupation’s appetite will open for more assassinations, all the way up to the party’s Secretary General.” Hassan Nasrallah.
The occupation forces assassinated Al-Arouri and 6 of his companions on Tuesday, in an apartment in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, years after he was placed on the Israeli assassination list.
It is noteworthy that Al-Arouri (57 years old) contributed to the establishment of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and spent 18 years in occupation prisons, and Israel accused him of being behind many operations carried out by the resistance in the West Bank.
