Foreign
Hamas deputy head Saleh al-Arouri killed in alleged Israeli drone strike in Beirut

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh expressed outrage at the assassination, stating, “the occupation’s assassination of Arouri and his brothers is a complete terrorist act.”

Hamas’s deputy leader outside of Gaza, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed along with at least five other people in an alleged Israeli drone strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Hamas confirmed Tuesday evening.

Israel was on extra high alert not only for a potentially more extreme response by Hamas, but also from Hezbollah, The Jerusalem Post confirmed from multiple sources.
An anonymous US defense official also confirmed to the Washington Post that Israel killed al-Arouri.
The death of Arouri came at a critical moment when Israel has been trying to convince Hamas to cut another hostage release deal in exchange for a second temporary ceasefire, but to no avail.
Hamas may pull out of negotiations
Reportedly Hamas may pull out of negotiations for some amount of time, though the longer term goal of the attack could have been to pressure the terror group’s leaders into accepting offers they have refused in recent weeks.
Arouri was not only viewed as one of the master planners of Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel, but was also one of the main liasions for Hamas to Lebanon and to Iran.
In April 2023, Esmail Ghaani, commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and al-Arouri in Damascus.
Then, a Hamas delegation headed by Haniyeh went to Tehran in June, which also included Arouri, and met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian, and IRGC commander Hossein Salami.
In addition, Arouri was credited for giving the order to organize a significant terror operation in 2014 which led to the kidnapping and murder of three teenagers – a terror attack which itself eventually led to 2014 Gaza conflict.
Since then he has continued to direct significant terror attacks against Israel from the West Bank, despite long being in the Jewish state’s crosshairs.
According to reports, the strike targeted an office belonging to Hamas in Mushrifiyah in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital.
Both an apartment and a vehicle were reportedly targeted in the area. The strike was carried out by two drones, according to Lebanese media. After the strike, Israeli fighter jets were spotted over Beirut and Khalde, along with other areas throughout Lebanon.
Azzam al-Aqra and Samir Fendi, two commanders in Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades, were killed in the strike as well.
Earlier this year, the Shin Bet said that Aqra was involved in Hamas efforts to train and recruit terrorists in the West Bank.
Fendi served as a liaison between Hamas and the Houthis and al-Aqra, according to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.
Israel had not officially taken responsibility for the strike as of Tuesday evening, although several government officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, published social media posts welcoming Arouri’s death.
The US-Israel Education Association stated their support of the assassination. “USIEA supports Israel’s efforts in eliminating Saleh al-Arouri and other senior leaders of Hamas in Beirut today. With Arouri and others at the helm, Hamas has committed irrevocable atrocities against Israel and the Jewish people that cannot go unpunished. This sets a huge precedent for terrorists who wish to engage in heinous acts against the Jewish state – there will be consequences for their vile actions,” the statement read.
“At this point, Israel is bracing for a response from Hezbollah that could open up the northern front completely, and it should be prepared for retaliatory attacks.
“These leaders hiding out in Lebanon show how far the tentacles of Iran’s influence extend and the necessary measures to put an end to their reign of terror in the Middle East.”
A few hours after the assassination, IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated “The IDF is at a very high level of preparedness on all fronts. Whether on offense or defense, we’re on high alert for any scenario. The most important thing to say this evening is that we are focused and have remained focused on fighting Hamas.”
In response to a question about the assassination, Hagari stressed that he would not be addressing the reports, adding “We are focused on fighting Hamas.”
Hezbollah MP Hussein Jishi warned after the strike that “Hezbollah will respond to the assassination, and this is settled,” in comments to Al-Araby al-Jadeed.
Even before the war, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah warned that any Israeli assassination in Lebanese territory would “lead to a strong reaction,” during an interview in August.
“It cannot be tolerated, and we will not allow Lebanon to open the arena for assassinations. We will not accept changing the rules of engagement that have existed since 2006, and the Israelis must understand this matter well,” said Nasrallah at the time.
However, that was in an era before October 7, before the IDF had started to freely strike Hezbollah terrorists in around half a dozen villages across southern Lebanon and before the terror group saw the IDF flatten northern Gaza.
Palestinian factions in the West Bank declared a day of rage for Wednesday in response to the assassination.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh expressed outrage at the assassination, stating “the occupation’s assassination of Arouri and his brothers is a complete terrorist act, a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, and an expansion of the circle of its aggression. The Nazi occupation bears responsibility for this aggression, and will not succeed in breaking the will of steadfastness and resistance among our people and their valiant resistance.”
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, stated after the strike on Tuesday that “the cowardly assassinations 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 steadfastness of our people, or undermining the continuation of their valiant resistance, and they prove once again the abject failure of this enemy to achieve any of its aggressive goals in the Gaza Strip.”
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist movement responded to the strike on Tuesday evening, stating “the assassination of Al-Arouri and his companions is an attempt by the Zionist enemy to expand the scope of the conflict and drag the entire region into the war to escape the military field failure in the Gaza Strip and the political impasse that the entity’s government is experiencing, following its failure, after 90 days of barbaric war and a war of extermination, to impose its conditions on our people. Indeed, the resistance forces had the upper hand politically and militarily.”
“We affirm that this crime will not go unpunished, and that the resistance will continue until the occupation is defeated,” added the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Lebanese interim prime minister Mikati expressed outrage at the strike, stating “The explosion is an Israeli crime that definitely aims to bring Lebanon into a new phase of confrontations after the ongoing daily attacks in the south.”
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry announced that it was preparing to submit a complaint to the United Nations concerning the assassination.
The strike comes just hours before the fourth anniversary of the US assassination, with aspects of Israeli assistance, of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the head of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces, in Baghdad in January 2020.

Foreign
IDF officer fired after publicly rejecting continuation of fighting, criticizing leadership

The removal of Majer came the day after an Israeli Air Force reservist was dismissed for a similar posting on social media.

An officer in the IDF’s intelligence branch has been removed from his reserve duty after a social media post that he refused to take part in a continuance of fighting, The Jerusalem Post confirmed Wednesday.

Michael Majer, an officer in intelligence, had written on X that he would not take part any continuance of action. His post criticized national leadership, stating that he was not going to obey decisions that he felt were contradictory to the best interest of the nation.
According to the IDF, Majer was permanently removed from his position on reserve duty.
“The thing that will most help protect my people now is to refuse to take part in the fighting in the service of a bunch of filthy traitors and in complete opposition to the interests of the people of Israel.”
Risking everything by speaking out against gov’t
Following the publication of his post, Majer emphasized that he made a difficult, personal decision to speak out as reservist, because it is a large part of his identity and social circle. He said that he stands behind every word he wrote, and even brought it up during his dismissal hearing.
“Every person must have red lines. As far as I am concerned, they were crossed a long time ago,” he wrote in response to his dismissal. “I will not take part in an action that is motivated by foreign interests and means abandoning the kidnapped to their deaths, sending soldiers to kill and be killed in vain, and continuing the multifaceted deterioration of the State of Israel. All of this under a regime that has long since lost all legitimacy and is solely for the preservation of its power.”
The removal of Majer came the day after an Israeli Air Force reservist was dismissed for a similar posting on social media, Israeli media reported. The IAF reservist navigator had written that they were fearful of the fate of the hostages and expressed extreme concern over efforts to fire Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and the attorney general.
These comments mimicked those of a pre-October 7 world, where hundreds of reservists threatened to not show up for duty in protest.

Foreign
US court blocks deportation of Georgetown University researcher

Badar Khan Suri is a student and teacher at Washington DC’s Georgetown University

A US court has blocked the Trump administration from deporting a Georgetown University researcher who was detained by immigration authorities earlier this week.

Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national, is a postdoctoral fellow studying and teaching at the prestigious Washington DC institution on a student visa.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused him of “spreading Hamas propaganda” and having “close connections to a known or suspected terrorist”.
Mr Suri’s lawyer and employer have denied the allegation. His lawyer said in a court filing that his client was targeted because of his wife’s “identity as a Palestinian and her constitutionally protected speech”.
In an order on Thursday, Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles said Mr Suri “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court issues a contrary order”.
In a sworn statement, his wife Mapheze Saleh said the detention “has completely upended our lives” and appealed to the court to allow Mr Suri to return home to his family.
“Our children are in desperate need of their father and miss him dearly,” she said. “As a mother of three children, I desperately need his support to take care of them and me.”
His arrest follows the detention or deportation of other foreign students and academics, including Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist.
Mr Suri was arrested outside his home in northern Virginia on Monday night by masked immigration agents, according to legal filings seen by CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
He was told the agents were with DHS, the filings say, and they informed him the government had revoked his visa and he was now facing expulsion from the country.
Mr Suri was taken to Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana where he is being held, according to US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at DHS, said on X that Mr Suri was “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media”.
She accused him of having “close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior adviser to Hamas” without providing any further detail.
Georgetown University Badar Khan SuriGeorgetown University
Mr Suri’s father-in-law is a former adviser to killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the Washington Post and New York Times reported.
In her court statement, Ms Saleh said her father lived in the US for nearly 20 years while pursuing a master’s and PhD. “Afterward, he served as political advisor to the Prime Minister of Gaza and as the deputy of foreign affairs in Gaza,” she said.
Ms Saleh said he left the Gaza government in 2010 and “started the House of Wisdom in 2011 to encourage peace and conflict resolution in Gaza”.
Mr Suri’s court filings allege that he and his wife Mapheze Saleh – a US citizen of Palestinian descent – had “long been doxxed and smeared” online by an “anonymously-run blacklisting site”.
The BBC has contacted Mr Suri’s lawyer for more details.
A spokesman for Georgetown University told the BBC that Mr Suri had been “granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan”.
The institution was “not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention”.
“We support our community members’ rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas may be difficult, controversial or objectionable,” the spokesman said. “We expect the legal system to adjudicate this case fairly.”
Getty Images A woman holds up the sign of a watermelon to signify support for the Palestinians during a protest against Israel’s attack in Gaza at Georgetown University on 25 April 2025Getty Images
Students protested against Israel’s attacks in Gaza across several universities last year, including at Georgetown in Washington DC
In her post on X, Ms McLaughlin said Secretary of State Marco Rubio “issued a determination on March 15, 2025 that Suri’s activities and presence in the United States rendered him deportable”.
The BBC has contacted DHS to request more detail on the allegations against Mr Suri, and also asked the Indian embassy in Washington DC for comment.
Several students and academics have been investigated by US immigration officials in recent weeks, accusing them of advocating for “violence and terrorism”.
Khalil, a Columbia graduate and permanent US resident, was arrested on 8 March after being involved in pro-Palestinian protests on campus. He was accused of having ties to Hamas, which he denies.
Columbia student Leqaa Kordia, who is a Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested for “overstaying her student visa”. She had previously been arrested in April 2024 for taking part in protests at Columbia University, according to DHS.
Ranjani Srinivasan, another Columbia University student, chose to “self-deport”. Officials said her student visa was revoked on 5 March. Her lawyers say she attended a handful of protests and had shared or liked social media posts related to Palestinians in Gaza.
Brown University professor and kidney transplant specialist Rasha Alawieh, who is Lebanese, was deported after arriving at Boston airport. US officials said they found “photos and videos” on her cell phone that were “sympathetic” to the former longtime leader of Hezbollah and militants.
According to a transcript of her interview reviewed by Reuters, she told customs officials she did not support Hezbollah but had high regard for its leader because of her religion.
“I’m not a political person,” she said. “I’m a physician. It’s mainly about faith.”

Foreign
Kenya’s senate speaker, Abbas, Gebaly, Olamilekan, others nominated for continental people’s choice awards

As anticipation builds for the 2025 Continental People’s Choice Awards, distinguished legislators from across Africa have been named as nominees in recognition of their outstanding contributions to governance and democracy.

Among those shortlisted are Amason Kingi Jeffah, Speaker of the Kenyan Senate; Hanafy Ali El Gebaly, President of Egypt’s House of Representatives; Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; and Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, alongside other eminent parliamentarians from Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Ghana.

This prestigious award, organised by the Africa International Chambers (AIC) in partnership with Souq Nexus and facilitated by Integrated Management Resources (IMR), honours legislators who have demonstrated exemplary leadership, policy innovation, and unwavering dedication to their constituencies.
A distinguished Joint Award Screening Committee, led by Prof. Raju Chandrasekhar, meticulously selected the nominees based on their impact in advancing democratic principles and governance. Formal invitations for the grand award ceremony, slated for June 6, 2025, in Dubai, have been extended to the nominees.
The high-profile event will bring together policymakers, government officials, business leaders, and international dignitaries, providing a prestigious platform to celebrate legislative excellence and foster strategic dialogue on governance and development.
Beyond being an award, the Continental People’s Choice Awards is a globally recognised symbol of leadership and influence. The ceremony will not only highlight the achievements of Africa’s most distinguished lawmakers but also reinforce their credibility on national and international platforms.
With the world watching, the 2025 edition promises to be a defining moment in Africa’s legislative history, solidifying the honourees’ legacy as trailblazers of transformative governance.

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