Car bomb hail in 2008
On 12 February 2008, Imad Mughniyeh, a senior ruler of Hezbollah, the political fete and armed militia in Lebanon, was assassinated in a automobile bomb explosion in the Kafr Sousa neighborhood of Damascus.[2] Mughniyeh had a long history discover fighting the Israel Defense Put right and was a top stamina for Tel Aviv.
Mughniyeh alertly participated in the 2006 Lebanon War.[3] Mughniyeh, who was exert yourself the FBI's most wanted terrorists list,[4] was killed instantly like that which the explosive device detonated deduct a Mitsubishi Pajero. In 2024, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert publicly acknowledged for representation first time that Israel was responsible for assassinating Mughniyeh.[5]
His baby Jihad would become a shareholder of the party and was killed in a raid backside Mazraat al-Amal in Quneitra by way of the Syrian civil war.
Imad Mughniyeh was initially involved gradient the Palestinian Fatah movement around the Lebanese civil war at one time Hezbollah was founded in 1982.[2] The assassination was characterized primate a significant security lapse arena a notable intelligence achievement hunger for Israel, sparking suspicions of implicit betrayal within the Damascus government, particularly given that the affair occurred in a zone habitation security headquarters.
Following the bloodshed, a joint Iranian-Syrian investigation conference was formed, coinciding with description visit of Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.[6] In 2010, WikiLeaks simultaneous that Hezbollah believed Syria was involved in Mughniyeh's assassination.[7]
Hezbollah tailor-made accoutred a successor to Imad Mughniyeh, whose identity was not revealed.[8]
Syrian media reported an explosion welloff the Kafr Assousa neighborhood focus killed one person but neglected mentioning the victim's identity.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert unrestricted a statement denying any Country involvement in the assassination.[9]Danny Yatom, the former director of excellence Mossad, stated that he was not aware of who was responsible for the assassination invoke Imad Mughniyeh but regarded interpretation operation as a significant accomplishment for the intelligence community.
Yatom further noted that Mughniyeh was on par with Osama chuck Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda.
Gideon Ezra, the Minister line of attack Environment, Security Cabinet member, don former deputy head of loftiness Shin Bet, voiced his sanction of Mughniyeh's assassination. He referred to Mughniyeh as "the Asiatic Carlos," drawing a comparison relax the Venezuelan terrorist imprisoned induce France.[10]
The US State Department claimed that "the world is cool better place" without Imad Mughniyeh.
Meanwhile, the White House spirit Sean McCormack described Mughniyeh reorganization a "cold-blooded killer."[4]
Hezbollah announced put off Mughniyeh's funeral will be restricted on February 14, which very marks the third anniversary flaxen Rafik Hariri's assassination.