An assassination in Beirut and a bombing in Iran push fear of war across Middle East to new heights
The assassination in Lebanon of one of the highest-ranking officials in Hamas followed by devastating bombings in Iran 24 hours later, killing 103 people during memorial ceremonies for Iran’s most powerful military chief, have heightened fears of bloody conflict spreading across the Middle East.
Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of the Hamas politburo and one of the founders of the group’s military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, is the most high-profile adversary to be killed by Israel since the start of the latest Gaza War.
The massacre in Iran, with reports of up to four explosions in a synchronised attack using remote-controlled bombs, took place at the birthplace of Commander Qassem Suleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who died in a targeted drone attack by the US – under the Trump administration – four years ago.
The Iranian government called the attack in
