Hizbollah commander killed in Damascus

Hizbollah commander killed in Damascus

By Julien Barnes-Dacey in Damascus and Ferry Biedermann in Beirut

Published: February 13 2008 09:43 | Last updated: February 13 2008 09:43

Imad Moughniyah, one of Hizbollah’s most prominent commanders, has been killed in Damascus.

His death has been linked to a bomb blast on Tuesday night in a residential neighbourhood in the Syrian capital. Hizbollah accused Israel of the attack.

“The brother commander Hajj Imad Moughinyah became a martyr at the hands of the Zionist Israelis,” said a statement on Hizbollah’s Al-Manar television in Lebanon.

A Lebanese expert on the movement said that a “significant response” from the group was to be expected.

The Israeli government on Wednesday denied responsibility for the killing. “Israel rejects the attempts of terror elements to attribute to Israel any involvement in this incident,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office said in a statement.

Mr Moughniyah, the one-time head of the movement’s security apparatus, was one of Hizbollah’s most wanted operatives. The US had offered a $5m reward for information leading to his arrest. He is accused of having been involved in a string of kidnappings of westerners in Lebanon in the 1980s and to have been behind other attacks on US and western targets in the country.

He was indicted in the US for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner in Beirut in which an American navy diver was killed. Last year, Argentina issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires in which 86 people were killed.

There was no official comment from the Syrian government. News of the blast in Damascus was not carried on Syrian state television and radio channels.

Syria occasionally experiences small-scale attacks that the government blames on Islamic fundamentalists. Targeted assassinations of militants that are based in or visiting Syria are rare. In 2004 a car bomb killed a Hamas military commander in the capital. Syria blamed Israel for the attack, which came amid a string of Hamas suicide bombings in that country.

The bomb in Damascus on Tuesday night went off in the upmarket residential neighbourhood of Kafar Soussa, a ten minutes drive from the city centre and close to where some of Syria’s main security services are located.

One witness to the explosion described ”a big yellow-greenish flash and within two minutes police cars with sirens arrived on the scene”. A local resident said ”he heard a big explosion which shook the windows of his house.

Hizbollah is involved in a drawn out political struggle with Lebanon’s western-backed government.

The group and its opposition allies demand a decisive say in a new Lebanese government and have vowed to block the election of a new president as long as their demands are not met.

The confrontation started several months after the devastating war between Israel and Hizbollah in July and August 2006.

Mr Moughniyah is to be buried in Beirut’s southern Shia neighbourhood on the same day that anti-Syrian government supporters will hold a mass rally to commemorate the death of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in a massive car bomb in 2004.

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Lebanon: Mughniyeh funeral, Hariri rally

By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer 52 minutes ago

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Throngs of Lebanese came out Thursday for two opposing gatherings: Hezbollah backers for the funeral of a slain militant suspected in hundreds of American deaths, and their pro-Western opponents to mark the assassination of an anti-Syrian former prime minister.
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It was a showcase of Lebanon's divided soul, and it raised fears of violence between the two sides, prompting authorities to deploy thousands of troops and block major roads.

Hezbollah urged crowds to south Beirut to march behind the coffin of Imad Mughniyeh, the group's former security chief who was killed in a car bombing in Syria on Tuesday night. The funeral was expected to fully be underway in the early afternoon as the downtown Beirut rally marking the third anniversary of former premier Rafik Hariri's killing wound down.

Mughniyeh was a long-sought fugitive suspected in a series of attacks against the U.S. and Israel, including the bombings of the U.S. Marines barracks and two embassy compounds in Beirut in 1983-84 that killed about 260 Americans. He was also the suspected mastermind behind the kidnappings of Americans and other Westerners in Beirut in the 1980s, including former Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson.

"Let us make our voice heard by all the enemies and murderers that we will be victorious, no matter the sacrifices," said a Hezbollah statement aired on the militant group's Al-Manar TV.

Hezbollah and its top ally, Iran, have accused Israel of Mughniyeh's slaying. Israel denied any involvement, but officials made no effort to conceal their approval of his death. The United States welcomed it.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah — himself in hiding because of fears of assassination since the 2006 summer war with Israel — was expected to address mourners through a video broadcast over a giant screen.

Mughniyeh's death from a bomb that blew up his SUV in Damascus could raise tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, as well as with the militants' allies, Syria and Iran. Some Lebanese figures close to the Shiite group called Wednesday for attacks against Israel.

In Israel, officials instructed embassies and Jewish institutions around the world to go on alert Thursday for fear of revenge attacks, and the army raised its awareness on its border with Lebanon and in the Palestinian territories.

Mughniyeh's slaying also could stir up more domestic turmoil in deeply divided Lebanon, where the Hezbollah-led opposition is locked in a bitter power struggle with the Western-backed government.

By midmorning, thousands poured into Beirut's main Martyrs' Square for the third anniversary of Hariri's assassination, braving the rain and the cold, waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader.

Crowds paid respects at Hariri's gravesite next to the downtown square as his brother, Shafik, unveiled a statue of him at the spot where he was killed, a few hundred yards away on a seaside boulevard.

A flame was lit and a taped message broadcast from Hariri's widow, Nazek, who lives in Paris, urging against "falling into hatred" and calling on "unity to save the country."

The anti-Syrian parliamentary majority had hoped a massive show of popular support, perhaps by hundreds of thousands, on the Hariri anniversary would force the Hezbollah-led opposition to compromise in a 15-month political stalemate that has paralyzed the country.

The anniversary rally also meant to send a message to Syria to stay out of Lebanese politics. Billboards on major highways called for supporters to attend: "Come down, so they don't come back."

Hariri's supporters blame Syria for killing the prominent politician in a massive suicide truck bombing in Beirut three years ago and for a series of bombings and assassinations since. Hariri's assassination ignited mass protests and international pressure that forced Syria to withdraw its army from Lebanon after 29 years of control.

But statements from government coalition leaders offering condolences in the wake of Mughniyeh's killing indicated that majority leaders were toning down their sharp rhetoric, dominant in recent days, so as not to further inflame tensions with the opposition.

Authorities deployed some 8,000 troops and policemen to protect the Hariri rally and leading roads. Armored carriers took up positions on major intersections, and additional razor wire was brought in to separate the two sides on rain-drenched streets.

The U.S. Embassy encouraged American citizens in Lebanon to limit all but essential travel Thursday. Across Beirut, businesses and shops put off popular Valentine's Day celebrations for later in the week.

Mughniyeh's body was brought to south Beirut from Syria on Wednesday and laid in a refrigerated coffin, wrapped in Hezbollah's yellow flag.

His father — Fayez, a south Lebanese farmer — as well as Hezbollah's deputy leader, Sheik Naim Kassem, and other Hezbollah officials received condolences inside a hall from allied Lebanese politicians and representatives of militant Palestinian factions.

Mughniyeh was also on the FBI's list of most wanted terrorists, and the State Department had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

Besides his suspected role in the Marine barrack and embassy compound attacks, he was indicted in the U.S. for his role in planning the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner in which a U.S. Navy diver was killed.

A string of kidnappings he was believed to have directed included taking captive the AP's chief Mideast correspondent, Anderson, who was held for more than six years until his release in 1991, and CIA station chief William Buckley, who was tortured by his captors and killed in 1985.

Israel accused Mughniyeh of involvement in the 1992 and 1994 bombings of the Israeli embassy and a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, attacks that killed more than 100 people.

He vanished in the early 1990s, reportedly undergoing plastic surgery and moving between Lebanon, Syria and Iran on fake passports.

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(حزب الله): عماد مغنية قضى شهيداً على يد الاسرائيليين




نعى (حزب الله) أمس أحد قادته البارزين عماد مغنية (الحاج رضوان) الذي اغتيل بانفجار في سيارته بدمشق ليل أمس الأول، وحمل اسرائيل مسؤولية الجريمة.
وكان شهود عيان ذكروا لوكالة (فرانس برس) ان سيارة انفجرت مساء الثلاثاء في حي كفرسوسة السكني في دمشق. وقد دمر الانفجار صندوق السيارة وهي من نوع (ميتسوبيشي باجيرو) وكانت متوقفة في مرآب وسط مبان. وتحطمت ألواح الزجاج في المباني القريبة. ولحقت أضرار بأربع سيارات متوقفة.
وجاء في بيان أذاعه (حزب الله) قبل ظهر أمس:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم،
من المؤمنين رجال صدقوا ما عاهدوا الله عليه فمنهم من قضى نحبه ومنهم من ينتظر وما بدلوا تبديلا،
بكل اعتزاز وفخر نعلن التحاق قائد جهادي كبير من قادة المقاومة الإسلامية في لبنان بركب الشهداء الأبرار. فبعد حياة مليئة بالجهاد والتضحيات والإنجازات، وفي شوق شديد للقاء الأحبة، قضى الأخ القائد الحاج عماد مغنية (الحاج رضوان) شهيدا على يد الإسرائيليين الصهاينة.
لطالما كان هذا الشهيد القائد رحمه الله هدفا للصهاينة والمستكبرين، ولطالما سعوا للنيل منه خلال أكثر من عشرين عاما إلى أن اختاره الله تعالى شهيدا على يد قتلة أنبيائه والمفسدين في أرضه الذين يعرفون أن معركتنا معهم طويلة جدا وأن دماء الشهداء القادة كانت دائما وأبدا ترتقي بمقاومتنا إلى مرحلة أعلى وأسمى وأقوى كما حصل سابقا مع الشهيدين القائدين السيد عباس الموسوي والشيخ راغب حرب رضوان الله عليهما.
عند الله نحتسب شهيدنا الكبير ونعاهد روحه الطاهرة أننا سنواصل طريقه الجهادي حتى تحقيق النصر الكامل ان شاء الله. كما نتقدم من عائلته الشريفة وإخوانه المجاهدين والمقاومين جميعا بالتبريك لنيله هذا الوسام الإلهي الرفيع وبالعزاء لفقد هذا القائد الحبيب والعزيز.
التشييع اليوم
وأذاع الحزب بياناً لاحقاً جاء فيه: يا أهلنا الأوفياء، ويا شعبنا المقاوم الصابر، ويا أمة المجاهدين والشهداء، يدعوكم حزب الله إلى المشاركة في تشييع الأخ القائد الشهيد الحاج عماد مغنية� الحاج رضوان إلى مثواه الأخير وذلك نهار الخميس الواقع في 14 شباط الساعة الثانية والنصف من بعد الظهر من مجمع سيد الشهداء (عليه السلام) في الرويس في الضاحية الجنوبية. هلموا لنرفع على الأكتاف قائدا نفخر بقيادته وشهيدا نعتز بشهادته لنسمع صوتنا لكل الأعداء والقتلة أننا سنواصل المقاومة ونصنع النصر مهما كبرت التضحيات.
بيان (أمل)
وكانت حركة (امل) أعلنت في بيان، استنكارها وادانتها لجريمة الغدر الجبانة التي طالت احد طلائع المجاهدين ضد الاحتلال، والعدوانية الاسرائيلية القائد الشهيد الحاج عماد مغنية.
وقالت: ان حركة امل اذ تتقدم بالعزاء من سماحة الامين العام لحزب الله السيد حسن نصرالله ومن الاخوة المجاهدين في الحزب والمقاومة الاسلامية، فإنها تنعي هذا المجاهد المميز الذي كان احد مؤسسي المقاومة ضد قوات الاحتلال الاسرائيلية في جنوب لبنان، واحد صناع التحرير والنصر المؤزر الذي حققته مقاومة شعبنا ضد الاحتلال خلال حرب التحرير وخلال التصدي الاسطوري للحروب الاسرائيلية ضد لبنان، وآخرها عدوان تموز 2006.
اضاف بيان الحركة: ان حركة (امل) تدعو اللبنانيين للمناسبة الى تمتين وحدتهم في مواجهة عدو لبنان الاساسي الذي يتمثل باسرائيل المتهمة بهذه العملية الغادرة، والنهوض بمسؤولياتهم الوطنية خصوصا في هذه اللحظة السياسية التي يقع فيها بلدنا على منظار التصويب لاعداء وطننا وشعبنا.

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'Mughniyeh co-founded Hizbullah'
By YAAKOV KATZ AND KHALED ABU TOAMEH
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For 25 years, Hizbullah operations chief Imad Mughniyeh was one of the world's most wanted terrorists, involved in endless attacks against Israel and the United States, including the abduction of two IDF reservists in 2006 and the bombing of US embassies in Africa.

Middle East expert Dr. Yoram Kehati discusses impact of Mughniyeh assasination

Less known than Osama bin Laden but considered a greater outlaw, Mughniyeh was implicated in the 1983 bombing of the US Embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut that killed more than 300, as well as the 1994 bombing of the Israelite Mutual Association building in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people, and the 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in the same city, in which 29 died.

He apparently had strong ties with al-Qaida, and according to the testimony of Ali Muhammad - a senior al-Qaida operative who was arrested for involvement in the attacks on American embassies in Africa - Mughniyeh met with bin Laden in Sudan in 1993. Hizbullah, Muhammad said, provided explosives training for al-Qaida fighters. This relationship - and the fact that Mughniyeh was Hizbullah's liaison to al-Qaida - has led Western intelligence agencies to raise the possibility that he was also involved in the September 11 attacks.

Born in Tyre, Lebanon, in 1962, Mughniyeh did not attract attention until 1976, when he joined the PLO's Force 17 as a sniper targeting Christians on the Green Line dividing West and East Beirut.
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Fatah officials told The Jerusalem Post that he had been very close to Yasser Arafat when the PLO was based in Beirut.

"His nickname was tha'lab [the fox], and today he's considered the second most important figure in Hizbullah after Secretary-General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. We're very proud to have had a Palestinian holding such a high position in Hizbullah," said a Fatah official who said he had known Mughniyeh well during the '70s and '80s.

When the IDF forced the PLO to leave Lebanon in 1982, Arafat entrusted Mughniyeh with transferring the organization's weapons to Lebanese armed groups allied with the Palestinians. Mughniyeh, who refused to leave Beirut with the PLO leadership, joined the the Shi'ite Amal militia headed by Nabih Berri. He and Nasrallah later left the movement to form Hizbullah.

The first terrorist attacks in which he was implicated were the 1983 bombings of the US Embassy and barracks housing US Marines and French paratroopers, who were part of the Multinational Force in Lebanon. Around 350 people were killed.

In 1985, Mughniyeh was believed to have been one of the terrorists who hijacked a TWA flight on its way from Athens to Rome. The plane was forced to land in Beirut and afterwards flew to Algeria before returning to Beirut. He was later indicted in the US for the murder of one of the hostages on board, a US Navy diver.

On October 10, 2001, Mughniyeh appeared on the FBI's first "Top 22 Most Wanted Terrorists" list. A reward of $5 million was offered for information leading to his capture.

He has also been linked to the Karine A weapons ship that Arafat tried to use to smuggle arms into the Gaza Strip in 2001, as well as the kidnapping of three IDF soldiers in October 2000 by Hizbullah and the abduction of reservists Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser in the summer of 2006.

Mughniyeh was Hizbullah's chief liaison with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and was believed to have spent most of his time in Teheran under tight Iranian security. Outside of Iran, he reportedly never slept in the same place twice and constantly looked over his shoulder.

In January 2006, Mughniyeh is believed to have traveled with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Damascus for a meeting with Nasrallah, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and Islamic Jihad chief Ramadan Salah.

"He knew that he was on the FBI's list for many years, and he has lived many years according to this understanding - and this was strengthened following the Second Lebanon War," said Col. (res.) Dr. Eitan Azani, deputy executive director of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism at the IDC Herzliya and a former head of the Lebanese Desk at IDF Military Intelligence.

In contrast to bin Laden, Azani said, Mughniyeh "did not have a political role, but was strictly involved in operations, like the chief of General Staff."