The deputy of leader of Hamas has been killed in an Israeli drone strike, according to Hezbollah media.

Saleh al Arouri, one of the terrorist group's founding members, was killed in the south of Beruit.

He was considered the de facto leader of Hamas’s military wing in the West Bank.

Hamas have confirmed al Arouri's death.

Israeli officials declined to comment, saying they do not respond to reports in the foreign media.

At a press conference in November, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had "instructed the Mossad to act against the heads of Hamas wherever they are", after the October 7 attacks.

At the same press conference, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said all Hamas leaders "are living on borrowed time… The struggle is worldwide."

Based in Lebanon, al Arouri, 57, was deputy head of the terror group’s political bureau and one of the group's officials most closely connected to Iran.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the blast killed four people and was carried out by an Israeli drone.

According to the reports, the strike targeted an office belonging to Hamas in Mushrifiyah in the southern suburbs of Beruit.

Both an apartment and a vehicle are understood to be the intended targets.