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The killing of the Hamas political leader Saleh al-Arouri in Lebanon has all the potential to ignite a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Israel insists that his assassination was not an attack on Lebanon but at the same time its enemies have warned of "punishment" over his death.

An Israeli spokesman said Saleh al-Arouri had died in a "surgical strike against the Hamas leadership" but Israel has also neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the attack.

Hamas condemned the death, while Hezbollah said it was an assault on Lebanese sovereignty. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran.

Lebanon's prime minister, meanwhile, accused Israel of trying "to drag Lebanon into... confrontation".

Kobi Michael served as the deputy director general and head of the Palestinian desk at Israel's Ministry for Strategic Affairs. He's now a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, so Newsday asked him whether Israel was behind the drone attack on the senior Hamas leader.

"Saleh al-Arouri was considered to be a political leader; he was first of all a military leader responsible for many terror attacks... and tightening relations with Iran. This was part of the war. But Israel does distinguish between Hezbollah and Hamas and [in] this operation Hamas was the target, not Hezbollah."

(Pic: Lebanese soldiers stand atop an armoured vehicle at the site of an explosion that killed at least six people including Hamas deputy head, Saleh al-Arouri ; Credit: EPA)

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