It’s only been a couple of weeks since photographer Felix Larnö and I interviewed one of Hamas’ senior leaders in Beirut about Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. The attack killed 1,200 Israelis and was followed by a war against Hamas in Gaza in which around 22,000 Gazans were killed by Israeli bombardment.
A war that is still going on and with no solution in sight.
Before the interview, one of our questions was precisely: you live quite openly here, don’t you think Israel will do a drone attack or similar?
The answer was a shrug and:
– It is a calculated risk. Of course, Israel knows where we are, but if they choose to attack in Beirut, the consequences will also be high, said one of the men who accompanied Usama Hamdan, the leader we met.
“If I die, someone else will take over,” said Hamdan himself.
The top terrorist-listed names live in other countries
Now one of Hamas’ top leaders, Saleh Al-Arouri killed in Lebanon. He is one of those said to be in close contact with the military wing of Hamas that Israel is focused on eliminating. The names of the others who were killed or shaken in the attack are not clear at this time.
That Israel wants to destroy Hamas is nothing new, nor that one of Israel’s problems has been that several of the wanted and terrorist-listed Hamas leaders live and operate in other countries in the region.
Some are in Lebanon, others in Qatar, some in Turkey. Turkish President Erdogan, for example, has on several occasions warned Israel against attacking anyone within Turkish borders, and today Turkish media reported that 34 people were arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel’s Mossad security service.
But that does not seem to have deterred Israel from acting outside its borders, although much remains unclear about the attack in Beirut. Regardless, the ball is rolling. Lebanon’s prime minister condemned the attack almost immediately, saying Israel was trying to drag Lebanon into the war.
Via an SMS from a spokesman within Hamas, I receive the short answer:
“Next level.”
The coming hours and days are absolutely crucial
The situation between Israel and Lebanon is already very tense due to the constant attacks between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel on Lebanon’s southern border. But if it turns out that it really is Israel that struck a target in Lebanon’s capital, that is a completely different matter.
It can definitely be seen as a declaration of war. At the same time, there are many powers in the world who do not want Hezbollah and Lebanon to be drawn further into the conflict.
The coming hours and days are absolutely decisive for whether the war between Israel and Hamas will grow or not.