Israel’s military is preparing for “any scenario” on Wednesday, a day after an airstrike in a Beirut suburb killed a number two member of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and fueled fears of an escalation of the current conflict in the Gaza Strip. , AFP notes.

“The Israeli forces are in a state of very high readiness in all arenas, defensively and offensively. We are well prepared for any scenario. The most important thing to say tonight is that we are focused and remain focused on fighting Hamas,” army spokesman Daniel Hagari said Tuesday night.

Earlier, Lebanon was rocked by the severe shockwaves of an airstrike attributed to Israel on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, in which Saleh al-Aruri, number two in the Hamas political office, was killed, along with at least six other staff members.

“The movement whose leaders and founders became martyrs for the dignity of our people and nation will never be defeated,” reacted Ismail Haniya, the leader of Hamas, condemning the “violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty” and the “expansion” of the ongoing war in the country. Gaza Strip.

“This crime will not go unanswered or unpunished,” Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, said, while Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati accused Israel of “pushing Lebanon into a new phase of confrontation.”