Hamas says assassination of drone engineer "attack against Palestinian resistance"

Islamic Hamas Movement said Saturday that the assassination of flight engineer Mohammad Al-Zawari in Tunisian city of Sfax "is an attack against Palestinian resistance."

Hamas military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, said in a press statement that the crime last Thursday will not go unpunished.

The statement said the assassination is considered "an alarm bell threatening the Arab and Islamic world."

"Al-Zawari has joined the Palestinian resistance and the movement, like many others of the Arab and Islamic world whose compasses pointed towards Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque... and fight with the brigades in defense of Palestine," said the Hamas military wing.

Al-Zawari, a flight engineer and the head of the flight association south of Tunis, was assassinated by unknown gunmen from a close range in his head.

Arab media outlets said the Israeli Mossad was behind the assassination.

Israeli media sources said that Al-Zawari was assassinated due to his involvement with armed Palestinian factions, particularly Hamas.

The media also mentioned that three undercover foreigners with European passports were behind the assassination.

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronot said that a group rented four cars and used muffled guns to shoot at him, who had previously entered into the Gaza Strip through tunnels, and trained Hamas militants and made unmanned aerial vehicles.

Al-Qassam Brigades used unmanned aerial vehicles, named Ababeel planes, for the first time last summer.

Hamas mentioned that its engineers were able to manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles and produced three types of them. Endit