Hamas also confirmed the assassination of its deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in the blast that targeted its office in a southern Beirut suburb, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.
Six people died in the explosion. Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned al-Arouri's killing as an "Israeli crime" that he said aimed to draw Lebanon deeper into the Palestine-Israel conflict.
A Sputnik correspondent has reported that in response to the blast, Lebanon has stepped up its military presence outside the Hamas office in Beirut after what is believed to be an Israeli drone strike.
The Lebanese army pulled military equipment and additional forces to the site in Al-Mcharafieh neighborhood, on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital. Ambulances and firefighting crews were also deployed.
In response to the deadly blast, Lebanon's Hezbollah has threatened to retaliate against Israel, writing in a statement that the "crime will not go unanswered or unpunished."
Israeli media has reported that the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enforced a gag order on ministers as Lebanon and Hamas blamed the Jewish state for assassinating the Palestinian group’s deputy leader.
The Netanyahu's office is said to have specifically instructed ministers not to be interviewed or make any references to the assassination as Israeli police were reportedly put on high alert and told to get ready for rocket attacks and infiltration.
Citing US and Israeli officials, American media claimed that Israel did not notify Washington before the strike was conducted, noting Israeli leadership informed the Biden administration about the attack only after the operation had already begun.
On October 7, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, while its fighters breached the border, opening fire on the military and civilians. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 20,000 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1.