The assassination operation of the Deputy Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas, Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri, and his companions in the southern suburbs of Beirut revealed the extent of coordination between Hamas and the Islamic Group, which mourned two of its members, Mahmoud Zaki Shahin and Mohammad Bashasha, both of whom were participating in a meeting during the execution.
This article was originally published in and translated from the Lebanese newspaper Nidaa Al-Watan.
While the assassination of al-Arouri is the first outside the occupied Palestinian territories since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, 2023, Shahin and Bashasha are the first casualties of the Group.
The movement had previously announced multiple times launching rockets from the south toward Israeli sites and settlements in western Galilee without causing any casualties among its members.
In the first reaction, the National Relations Officer of Hamas in Lebanon, Dr. Ayman Shanaa, told Nidaa Al-Watan: "The assassination crime is not new to the Zionist enemy and its criminality."
"We are accustomed to its betrayal and cowardice, and we have offered many martyrs, including Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Dr. Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Al-Qassam Brigades Ahmed al-Jabari, among others. But we will not retreat; we will continue on the path of resistance and defeating the occupation."
He clarified, "The movement, whose leaders and founders have become martyrs for the dignity of our people and nation, will never be defeated. Instead, it will gain strength, resilience, and an unwavering determination."
He also pointed out that "the movement's leaders have taken additional precautionary measures in the Lebanese arena."
On the other hand, the Deputy Head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Group in Lebanon, Bassam Hammoud, did not hide the existing coordination with Hamas and said to Nidaa Al-Watan: "There is no need for evidence or proof; we and Hamas are two sides of the same coin in confronting the Zionist enemy. Our pledge to the martyrs is to continue on the path of resistance until the defeat of the occupation and the liberation of the land."
"The martyrdom of Shahin and Bashasha in the assassination of al-Arouri confirms the mingling of Lebanese blood with Palestinian blood in the battle of liberation and on the path of jihad within the Al-Aqsa Flood battle. Their testimony and blood will be the birth of more heroes and leaders who will continue on the path they paved for the liberation of Palestine."
Hammoud affirmed that "this heinous crime will not pass without punishment, and the Israeli occupier will pay its price sooner or later."
He added that "all the crimes it has committed or will commit will not turn back the clock, as the end of this usurping entity was written last October 7, and its decisive defeat will not be prolonged."
The Fatah Movement in Lebanon hastened to condemn the assassination of al-Arouri, describing him as "the great Palestinian national leader and fighter."
The Palestinian forces and factions in Lebanon also mourned him, pledging "to continue the struggle and resistance until achieving victory, defeating the occupation, establishing an independent state with its capital in Jerusalem, and the return of refugees to their land and homes."