The head of European diplomacy said this Wednesday that the risk of “open war” in the Middle East is “negligible” and admitted that the death of the leader of the Islamist group Hamas in Lebanon could lead to an escalation of the conflict.
“The fear we all have is the risk of the situation getting worse,” commented this Wednesday the Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy at a press conference after speaking at the Diplomatic Seminar, an annual meeting organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lisbon.
On Tuesday, Hamas confirmed on its official Al-Aqsa TV channel the death of Saleh al-Arouri, vice president of the Palestinian Islamist movement’s political office, and at least six other militants, including the leader’s bodyguards, in an attack in Beirut, the Lebanese capital. The Israeli army said this morning it was prepared for “any scenario” but did not claim responsibility for the attack that killed al-Arouri.