Hezbollah vows to retaliate after a prominent Hamas leader is killed in Beirut. What to know about a winter storm forecast for the East Coast. And a California mother says her 10-year-old son was killed over a bike race.
Here’s what to know today.
Killing of senior Hamas leader in Beirut is likely to be seen as warning to Iran
The killing of Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in Lebanon has sparked vows of retribution from the country’s Hezbollah militants. And though Israel has not formally taken responsibility, experts say there is little doubt about who is behind the killing – or the signal it sends.
Al-Arouri was killed in a reported drone strike that also killed six other Hamas members in his home in a suburb of Beirut. He was a key figure who helped repair Hamas’ relations with Iran, which has armed and financed the militant group, and had been in Israel’s cross-hairs even before the current conflict.
This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your morning. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
“There’s no single cog in this group without whom the whole thing falls apart, but Arouri was a particularly important person,” said Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank.
“This is putting other senior Hamas officials on notice,” said Colin Clarke, the director of research at the Soufan Center, a U.S.-based nonprofit focusing on global security issues.
Al-Arouri has been on Israel’s radar for over a decade and was detained several times by Israeli authorities. In 2011, he was freed in a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel. Read the full story here.
More on the Israel-Hamas war
- Hezbollah vowed to retaliate against the Beirut killing, stoking fears of escalation in the region. The IDF has said it is “prepared for any scenario” as the focus turns toward an expected response. Follow our live blog for the latest.
Embattled Harvard president steps down
Harvard University President Claudine Gay has resigned from…
Read the full article here