Ynetnews reports: Saleh al-Arouri, who was appointed in October as the deputy Hamas leader, was replaced in his role as Hamas’s “military commander in the West Bank” by Maher Obeid, sources in the Palestinian security forces revealed to Ynet on Wednesday.

In response to the publication, Obeid denied the appointment, calling it “an honor that I do not deserve” and asserting that the report is “a lie.” Obeid further claimed that the goal of attributing him with the position was to drive a wedge between the Palestinians and even hinted that the publication was intended to justify his assassination by Israel.

The Jordan-born Obeid, 59, a close associate of his predecessor Arouri, is now responsible for orchestrating terror attacks in and from the West Bank. Like Arouri, Obeid also has good ties with the regime in Tehran and he has visited Iran on several occassions in recent years as part of official Hamas delegations.

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