Near Israel’s tense northern border with Lebanon, residents fear the killing of the deputy leader of Hamas in Beirut could spark a war with their neighbour, AFP reports.

During nearly three months of fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli army has also been exchanging cross-border fire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which is allied with Hamas.

While the violence had already dampened the mood in the coastal city of Nahariya, the anxiety level shot up with the death of Hamas number two Saleh al-Aruri in a strike in a Beirut suburb on Tuesday.

Lebanese security officials and Hamas blamed it on Israel, which has not directly commented on the killing.

“In the morning, we didn’t know whether to send our children to school … fearing Hezbollah’s response to what happened yesterday,” said Lee Zorviv, who owns a clothing shop.

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