Killing of senior Hamas figure raises fears Middle East conflict could expand

Top Hamas political leader Saleh Arouri was killed in an apparent Israeli strike on an apartment building in a Beirut suburb that is a Hezbollah stronghold (Hussein Malla/AP)

The death of a Hamas political leader in an apparent Israeli strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Tuesday marked a potentially significant escalation of Israel’s war against the militant group and has raised fears of a wider Middle East conflict.

Saleh Arouri, who was the most senior Hamas figure killed since the war with Israel began, was also a founder of the group’s military wing. His death could provoke major retaliation by Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militia.