HAMAS has claimed it's deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri has been killed in an Isreali drone strike in Beirut.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reports the senior official died in an explosion caused by an attack on an apartment used as Hamas' office.
Two other Hamas commanders in Lebanon - Samir Findi Abu Amer and Azzam Al-Aqraa Abu Ammar - were also killed in the precision strike, Al Aqsa TV reports.
Arouri was a senior official in Hamas's politburo but was known to be deeply involved in its military affairs.
He was one of the founders of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades - Hamas' military wing - and headed the terrorist group's presence in the West Bank.
The deputy leader was seen as Hamas' prime orchestrator of terrorism in the West Bank - and was wanted by Israel for many years.
PM Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to kill him even before the Hamas bloodbath on October 7, which sparked the ongoing war.
Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack.
But it did insist the assassination should not be seen as an attack on Lebanon, as its enemies warned of "punishment" for his death.
Israeli spokesperson Mark Regev told MSNBC: "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. Whoever did this has a gripe with Hamas. That is very clear."
The explosion caused by the drone strikes shook the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs, which are strongholds of Hezbollah - an ally of Hamas.
Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israel across Lebanon's southern border since the war began in Gaza
And the killing of Arouri in Hezbollah's stronghold could escalate the the war well beyond the Gaza strip.
In a televised speech in August, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had warned Israel against carrying out any assassinations on Lebanese soil, vowing a "severe reaction".
Iran, who has been backing Houthis to fight in the Red Sea in solidarity of Hamas, says the assassination will undoubtedly increase motivation to fight Israel in the wider region.
Lebanon is now accusing Israel of trying "to drag Lebanon into... confrontation," the BBC reported.
The country is said to submit a formal UN complaint against Israel for "violating the country's sovereignty".
Saleh al Arouri is the first Hamas political leader of his stature to be killed since the beginning of the war.
Israel has vowed to wipe out the Islamist terror organisation in its entirety - killing all its commanders and leaders.
Previously, the IDF killed Ahmed Al Ghandour, a senior member of Hamas' military council who had been in charge for 18 year.
Alongside Ghandour, three other senior officials were also killed, including Wael Rajab, Raf'at Salman and Ayman Siyam.
The IDF also eliminated Wissam Farhat from the Shuja’iya Brigade of the terrorist organisation in a deadly airstrike.
He was among the masterminds of the horror attack on October 7 - and had directed the terrorists to kill and kidnap Israeli civilians from the Nahal Oz Kibbutz.
At least 12 civilians were killed and more than 20 went missing in the horror attack after Farhat ordered for mass shooting in the kibbutz.
