Israel’s history of assassinating Palestinian leaders in Beirut dates back to the 1970s when some sought refuge in the Lebanese capital.
Over the years, the methods employed in these operations have evolved from gunfire and bombings to the use of aircraft and drones, as suspected, in the assassination of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri on Tuesday evening.
The first targeted assassination by Israel in Lebanon was that of the Palestinian novelist and politician Ghassan Kanafani.
He was a member of the political bureau and the official spokesperson for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The operation took place on July 8, 1972, in Beirut, involving a bomb planted in Kanafani’s car that led to his death.
Approximately a year after Kanafani, “Operation Fardan” was executed in 1973 as a response to the actions carried out by armed Palestinian organizations, including the hijacking of planes to demand the release of prisoners in Israeli jails.
Additionally, it was in response to the Palestinian Black September group kidnapping 11 Israeli athletes in Munich in 1972. The incident ended in the death of both the kidnappers and hostages.
Subsequently, Israel decided to escalate its assassination efforts by targeting Palestinian leaders, specifically the leaders of the Black September group.
On April 10, 1973, Israel carried out an assassination operation in Beirut, led by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, targeting three Palestinian leaders: Kamal Nasser, Kamal Adwan, and Mohammed Yusuf al-Najjar.
An Israeli military commando unit infiltrated Beirut by sea, successfully detonating a building belonging to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
This operation had political repercussions in Lebanon, leading the then Prime Minister, Saeb Salam, to resign amid accusations of failing to protect Palestinians.
As part of this series of assassinations, Israel executed an operation in Beirut in January 1979, targeting Ali Hassan Salameh, a leader in the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Black September group, known as the “Red Prince.”
