Lebanon's former security chief slams Israeli strike

Abbas Ibrahim, Lebanon’s former security chief and a key interlocutor between the US and Iran-backed groups in the region, has denounced the Israeli assassination of Saleh al-Arouri as an attack on Lebanese sovereignty.

“The attack on Lebanese sovereignty through the assassination of the martyr Saleh al-Arouri and his companions is an Israeli attempt to escape forward after this enemy was unable to achieve any achievement in Gaza other than murders and massacres,” he wrote on the social media platform, X.

“Perhaps this aggression presents an imaginary victory before entering the third phase of the war.”

Ibrahim, who hails from Lebanon’s Shia community, maintains ties with Hezbollah and the Syrian government, but also Washington.

Ibrahim was involved in mediating a landmark maritime border deal between Israel and Lebanon, and has also attempted to position himself as a negotiator for the release of hostages held in Gaza.