Israel’s military is “prepared for any scenario” after the killing of a senior Hamas figure in Beirut raised the risk of the war in Gaza spreading outwards into the region.

Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri was assassinated in a drone strike in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday. 

Israel neither confirmed nor denied carrying out the killing, but its military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israeli forces were in a “very high state of readiness in all arenas, in defence and offence,” after the incident.

“We are highly prepared for any scenario,” he said.

Iran-backed Hezbollah has vowed to respond to the killing, calling it a “crime [that] will never pass without response and punishment”.

The heavily armed group, a Hamas ally, has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israel across Lebanon’s southern border since the war in Gaza began in October.

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