Lebanese premier slams Israel after Beirut blast kills Hamas deputy
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Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has condemned Isreal for a Beirut explosion which, Hezbollah sources say, killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri.
"The explosion is an Israeli crime that clearly aims to bring Lebanon into a new phase of confrontations after the ongoing daily attacks in the south," Mikati said, referring to escalation of violence at the border with Israel between Hezbollah and Israeli forces.
He said that the explosion showed that Israel was resorting to exporting its failures in Gaza, adding it had a clear implication for Lebanon in confounding "efforts to remove the spectre of war from the country."
The exact reasons behind the explosion initially remain unclear, although there are suspicions that it was a targeted killing carried out or sanctioned by the Israeli military. Israel's military would not comment on the reports when asked for a statement.
