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Killing of Arouri Sends Menacing Message to Hamas Chiefs, May Hamper Truce Effort

Hezbollah affiliated civil defense member sprays water at a damaged site in the aftermath of what security sources said was an Israeli drone strike in Beirut's southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, Lebanon January 3, 2024. (Reuters)
Hezbollah affiliated civil defense member sprays water at a damaged site in the aftermath of what security sources said was an Israeli drone strike in Beirut's southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, Lebanon January 3, 2024. (Reuters)
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Killing of Arouri Sends Menacing Message to Hamas Chiefs, May Hamper Truce Effort

Hezbollah affiliated civil defense member sprays water at a damaged site in the aftermath of what security sources said was an Israeli drone strike in Beirut's southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, Lebanon January 3, 2024. (Reuters)
Hezbollah affiliated civil defense member sprays water at a damaged site in the aftermath of what security sources said was an Israeli drone strike in Beirut's southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, Lebanon January 3, 2024. (Reuters)

The killing of a Hamas chief in Lebanon removes a big name from Israel’s most-wanted list but could drive the Palestinian group's exiled leaders deeper into hiding, hampering efforts to negotiate further Gaza ceasefires and hostage releases.

Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri was struck down by a drone in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the stronghold of Hamas' Iranian-backed Lebanese ally Hezbollah, in an attack widely attributed to Hamas' sworn foe Israel.

Israel has not confirmed or denied a role, but the attack came a month after Israeli broadcaster Kan aired a recording of the head of Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet vowing to hunt down Hamas in Lebanon, Türkiye and Qatar even if it took years.

On Wednesday, Israel's Mossad spy chief David Barnea said he was committed to "settling the score" with Hamas.

Arouri's killing, said Ashraf Abouelhoul, managing editor of Egypt's Al-Ahram daily and an expert in Palestinian affairs, "may push Hamas to harden its stance so it doesn’t look as if it is bowing under pressures or threats of more assassination."

The stakes are high both for the two million Palestinians trying to survive Israeli bombardment in Gaza and for Israeli hostages held there by Hamas, ruler of the coastal territory and like Hezbollah.

Hamas negotiators including Arouri had been in Qatar-mediated talks with Israel over a possible further ceasefire in the war and prospects for further releases of Israeli hostages.

As recently as the past week the two sides were having discussions with Qatari mediators on a truce and hostages, a source familiar with the talks said, indicating a period when the Arouri strike may have been in final stages of preparation.

Security concerns may now complicate matters, analysts said.

Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director for research at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said that in recent years Palestinian groups operating in Lebanon, where Hezbollah is a powerful player, had become used to a measure of security. Hamas needed to be far more cautious now, he added.

'Open battle’

Such groups, he said, had been "happy with the arrangements in place – some quiet and stability and some sort of deterrence by Hezbollah. This has flown out of the window, given Oct. 7 and the conflict in south Lebanon and how things are going forward."

Arouri, 57, was the first senior Hamas political leader to be assassinated outside the Palestinian territories since Israel vowed to eliminate the group following its Oct.7 rampage, when it killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages back to Gaza.

The loss of a top figure could now prompt Hamas to take a tougher line against Israel, currently waging a shattering air and ground offensive against the group, analysts told Reuters.

The extent of any change in Hamas' stance remains unclear.

Hussam Badran, a Hamas political leader in exile, reacted defiantly to Arouri's death by saying: "We tell the criminal occupation (Israel) that the battle between us and them is open.”

However, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said that while Arouri's death "will have its consequences", Hamas' position remained that provided Israel fully stopped its attacks then the group would be open to talks "on all other issues".

Arouri's assassination may also widen the Gaza war to new territory in Lebanon, marking the first strike on Beirut after nearly three months of cross-border shelling between Hezbollah and Israel that had been limited to southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah will come under pressure to exact revenge for its ally, especially since he was killed in the group's Beirut stronghold Dahiyeh, the analysts said.

Three Iranian insiders closely connected to Tehran's hardline clerical establishment said the killing had raised concerns among Iranian leaders that Israel could be trying to widen the conflict by dragging in Iran.

"His assassination shocked everyone in Tehran. However, it does not mean that Tehran will get involved in the conflict directly, though apparently this is the main goal of the Zionist regime's leaders," said one of the insiders.

Within hours of the killing, however, an Israeli official signaled Israel wanted to avoid escalation, even as he insisted Israel had not taken responsibility for the attack.

Caution in Lebanon

Speaking to MSNBC, the official, Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, described the attack as a "surgical strike against the Hamas leadership" and not an attack on the Lebanese state or Hezbollah.

Whatever its eventual impact on regional stability, Arouri's death is highly likely to make other Hamas leaders more cautious about their whereabouts. In Gaza, no Hamas leader has been seen since the Oct. 7 killing spree. Many are believed to be hiding in deep underground tunnels.

For decades, the long arm of Israel's Mossad intelligence service has encouraged Palestinian opponents to live in the shadows to avoid assassination.

Israel's responded to the 1972 killing of 11 Israeli Olympic team members at the Munich games with an assassination campaign against operatives and organizers of the Black September Palestinian group over several years and in several countries.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal survived a 1997 assassination attempt by Israeli Mossad agents in Jordan.

In Lebanon, some Hamas officials have appeared regularly in recent months to deliver press statements. But Arouri and others more involved in strategic affairs have avoided the limelight.

Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Meshaal are expected to stay in Türkiye, a heavyweight regional power, and Qatar, an active diplomatic player, two countries Israel will not want to antagonize.

Türkiye has repeatedly warned Israel to stay away from Hamas members on Turkish soil. On Tuesday, before Arouri's killing, Turkish authorities detained 34 people suspected of links to Mossad and of planning to attack Palestinians living in Türkiye.

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Jamal Mustafa: Saddam and Other Iraqi Officials Headed to the Gallows with Heads Held High

Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Jamal Mustafa: Saddam and Other Iraqi Officials Headed to the Gallows with Heads Held High

Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saddam Hussein’s entourage never expected that they would one day find themselves in jail. It never occurred to them that the American military machine would use all of its might to oust Saddam’s regime and overthrow the ruling party and army. They never believed that forces allied to Iran would assume positions of power in the new regime.

Times changed and Saddam, who controlled the fate of the nation and its people, found himself in prison where he counted the days until his execution. The man was unyielding until his last breath and his will remained unbroken.

The men who made up the Revolutionary Command Council or government soon found themselves in prison. They were interrogated by the Americans and Iraqis and a death sentence was always going to be their fate.

In the second installment of his interview to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan, late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s son-in-law and second secretary, recalled the execution of his colleagues and relatives. He also recalled how he married Hala, the youngest of Saddam’s daughters, and how the late president acted around his family, away from state affairs.

Other officials who were held along with Saddam included “Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, my uncle and member of the Revolutionary Command Council Ali Hussein al-Majid, my other uncle Abed Hassan al-Majid, head of the Revolutionary Command Council Awad al-Bandar, Saddam’s half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan, Secretary Abed Hammoud and aide to the intelligence chief Farouk Hijazi,” said Mustafa.

He showed Asharq Al-Awsat a video that recently came to light of Khodair al-Khozaei, the former vice president during the American occupation. “In it, he said that he saw no justification for the death sentence against Abed Hammoud. Most dangerous of all, he confessed that he visited Iran and consulted with a judicial official, who encouraged him to sign the death sentence, which he did,” added Mustafa.

“The truth is that we sensed from the beginning that our trial was a means of revenge acting at Iran’s orders. One day, Abed Hammoud was informed that he was going to be moved to hospital and later that day the guards informed us that he was executed,” he continued.

“Mr. President (Saddam) expected to be executed. The truth is that his very existence, whether in jail or otherwise, was a source of concern for them. I can firmly attest that the members of the leadership bravely faced their death sentence. None of them showed any weakness or faltered,” he revealed.

He recalled the day they informed Barzan and Awad that they were going to be executed. “I was working out with al-Bandar when we received the news. I am not exaggerating when I say that he maintained his optimism even in that moment. They were executed the next day. Days later, I learned that Abed Hassan al-Majid, Farouk Hijazi and Hadi Hassan, an intelligence officer, were executed,” Mustafa said.

“Let me tell you what used to happen. One day, they came up with false charges that before the US occupation, I gave Mr. Khamis al-Khanjar (a Sunni politician) a sum of 250,000 dollars. Of course, the charge is baseless. They told me that I would remain in jail for life if I did not confess to the charge. I refused and told them that I enjoyed normal relations with Khanjar,” he went on to say.

“They later came up with a different scenario. They told me that they would take me to the Iraqi embassy in Jordan if I confessed to the charge and that I would late be released in Amman with a hefty sum of money. I told them that I would reject whatever they have to offer because I would not abandon my values to betray Khanjar, who was a friend,” he stated.

“They later accused me of complicity in the draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes, which I had nothing to do with,” he added.

Saddam Hussein with his daughter Hala in this undated photo. (Getty Images)

First call after Saddam’s execution

Mustafa recalled the first telephone call he had with his wife Hala and her mother, Sajida Khairallah Talfah, right after Saddam’s execution. “Five days after Mr. President’s martyrdom, I contacted my family. I spoke with my wife, and she was in very good spirits. She had very high faith and patience. I asked her about her mother, and she reassured me that she was also doing very well despite the pain,” he said.

“I pray that Gold Almighty will give her health and a long life. We have always derived our strength from her. My mother-in-law lost her two sons, Uday and Qusay, and then her husband. She had played a major role in supporting her husband from the beginning of his struggle. She always used to support him and stood by him throughout his career,” he remarked.

First meetings with Saddam

Mustafa recalled the early days of his meeting with Saddam. “They started when I began working for his special guard. That was when I first met him. Like most Iraqis and Arabs, I believed that he would be a difficult person, but the truth is that I saw him as a paternal figure,” he added. “When you work with him, you begin to develop a different opinion than the public impression. He was a very paternal figure.”

During their first meeting, they learned that they came from the same tribe and were distant cousins.

“I stayed by Mr. President’s side for around 20 years. I started off as part of his personal guard and he then tasked me with people’s affairs, meaning seeing to their needs and addressing their problems. He was very concerned with the people’s affairs and refused any one of them to be wronged. The truth is that many laws were amended or changed at the time following complaints from the people,” he revealed.

“There were two telephones at Mr. President’s office, and both were connected to my office. Whoever had a problem could call the president through the citizens’ line. I used to answer their calls and listen to their problems and set an appointment with the president. Sometimes I used to ask the caller to come in person with their request so that their problem could be tackled. Sometimes Mr. President would interject on the call to ask about the issue and would request to talk to the citizen on the line,” Mustafa said.

“He would listen to the person’s grievance and tell him to head to the dedicated office to tackle the issue. (...) So we used to receive hundreds of citizens every week to solve their problems. Mr. President was very concerned about these issues,” he stressed. “I have never met another person like him. He would listen, care and then come up with a solution.”

President’s son-in-law

Asharq Al-Awsat asked Mustafa about when he asked Hala to marry him. “It was in 1994. As is the tradition in Iraq, I headed with my uncles to Saddam’s family to ask her hand in marriage,” he said. “One of my uncles made the request to Mr. President on my behalf and he agreed and welcomed it.”

“A judge was summoned immediately for the ceremony, and we were married. We had lunch at the president’s house that same day. I first met Hala on September 12, and we were married on September 26. It was a short engagement in line with tradition.”

“Mr. President used to separate state affairs from his relationship with his family. His work was completely separate from family, which had nothing to do with political or state affairs. It never intervened in those issues. Mr. President was a man of state when he was doing his job, and a father when he came home. He treated his family as if he were its father – the perfect father. Every family wishes to have a father that can measure up to him because he looked after all of his children and all of his relatives,” Mustafa said.

“When he sat down to the dinner table, he himself used to serve his own food and ask his children about their day. He would serve them food and generally cared very much for them. The state is one thing and family is another. At the same time, he acted as a father to all Iraqis. He treated them fairly. This is Saddam Hussein,” stressed Mustafa. “He was always keen that Iraqis be treated justly and that none of them be wronged. He was also very firm with his children if they made any mistake.”

Saddam’s hobbies

Saddam was a “very traditional Arab man. He loved traditional Arab and Iraqi dishes. He himself used to cook his own version of the traditional Iraqi dish al-Habeet. (...) He also loved seafood and would cook the Masgouf fish dish himself,” Mustafa told Asharq Al-Awsat.

His hobbies included horseback riding, hunting, swimming and sharpshooting. “Occasionally, before heading to the front to fight against Iran, he would visit the al-Amarah region, where gazelle and geese are abundant, to hunt. As circumstances became more challenging, he limited himself to fishing, which he did regularly,” he added.

He was a skilled shooter from his youth. “Generally, growing up in a tribe, children are taught at a young age how to become a good shooter. This is part of our upbringing. He was also an avid reader. He was always reading something,” Mustafa said of Saddam.