Beirut (Quds News Network)- Hamas stated that the Deputy Head of its Political Bureau, Saleh Al- Arouri, was assassinated in a drone attack that targeted a building housing a Hamas office in Beirut. The movement added that two leaders were also killed in the assassination. Lebanese media sources have reported casualties due to an explosion in Al-Msharafieh in southern Beirut. They added that the explosion caused significant damage to a building, with one floor appearing to be completely destroyed. Hamas leader, Izzat Al-Risheq, said "the cowardly assassination operations carried out by the Zionist occupation against the leaders and symbols of our Palestinian people inside and outside Palestine will not succeed in breaking the will and resilience of our people or undermining its steadfast resistance." "This once again proves the utter failure of this blatant enemy to achieve any of its aggressive goals in the Gaza Strip", he added. On the other side, Israel's former representative in the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, congratulated the Israeli Shin Bet, military, and Mossad for the assassination of Al-Arouri, which was understood as a tacit recognition. Israel's Prime Minister's Office, however, stated that Netanyahu ordered his cabinet not to comment on the assassination. Meanwhile, MSNBC quoted Netanyahu advisor as claiming that they "did not claim responsibility for the Beirut attack, and it did not target the Lebanese government or Hezbollah.” Hezbollah's Secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, had warned in several occasions that any Israeli assassination of resistance leaders in Lebanon would alter the equation of the response maintained between the movement and the occupation state.