Saleh al-Arouri, the senior Hamas official killed in a suspected Israeli strike in Lebanon, played a key role in building up the Palestinian group's military capabilities and its links with regional allies.

Arouri, 57, was one of the founders of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, in the early 1990s.

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz says he has discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron “the imperative of an international diplomatic effort in Lebanon,” after Israel was accused of assassinating Hamas deputy head Saleh al-Arouri in a brazen drone strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

“I expressed my appreciation to President Macron for his commitment to Israel’s security, regional stability, and France’s important efforts to release the hostages held in Gaza,” Gantz said in an English-language post on the X platform.

The deputy chief of UNIFIL’s Strategic Communications and Public Information Office, Kandice Ardiel, on Wednesday voiced concern over any potential escalation following the Israeli drone strike that killed Hamas deputy head Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday.

Israel was on high alert for an escalation with Hezbollah on Wednesday after one of the top leaders of the Palestinian Hamas was killed in a strike in Beirut that was widely blamed on Israel and heightened the risk of a broader Middle East conflict.

The killing of Saleh Arouri, the most senior Hamas member slain since the war in Gaza erupted nearly three months ago, provided a morale boost for Israelis still reeling from Hamas' Oct. 7 attack as the militants put up stiff resistance in Gaza and continue to hold scores of hostages.

An apparent Israeli strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut that killed Hamas' No. 2 political leader Tuesday, marked a potentially significant escalation and heightened the risk of a wider Middle East conflict.

Saleh Arouri, who was the most senior Hamas figure killed since the war with Israel began, was also a founder of the group's military wing. His death could provoke major retaliation by Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Saleh Arouri, the deputy political head of Hamas and a founder of the group's military wing, had been in Israel's sights for years before he was killed in a drone strike in a southern suburb of Beirut on Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to kill him even before Hamas carried out its deadly surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, sparking the ongoing brutal war in Gaza.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel to avoid escalation, "particularly in Lebanon", following a strike in Beirut attributed to Israel that killed Hamas's deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri, the Elysee Palace said.

Macron, who spoke by telephone with Israeli minister and war cabinet member Benny Gantz, said "it was essential to avoid any escalatory attitude, particularly in Lebanon, and that France would continue to pass on these messages to all players directly or indirectly involved in the area", the presidency said.

Hezbollah has warned that Israel's killing Tuesday of the deputy Hamas leader in a Beirut southern suburb "will not go unanswered or unpunished."

Hezbollah called it "a serious assault on Lebanon."

Israel’s military spokesman on Tuesday said the army remains focused on fighting Hamas after an explosion in Beirut's southern suburbs that killed Saleh al-Arouri, a senior leader of the Islamic militant group.

The attack, blamed on Israel, has raised concerns that Lebanon’s Hezbollah could strike back in revenge.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned Israel's killing of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut's southern suburbs on Tuesday, saying the attack "aims to draw Lebanon" further into the Israel-Hamas war.

"Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the explosion in the southern suburbs of Beirut that killed and injured many," his office said in a statement.