The Syrian government was involved in the assassination last week of Hezbollah arch-terrorist Imad Mughniyah, Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt charged in an exclusive WND interview.
“The Syrians were involved of course. Just look at where he was killed, right next to [Syrian government buildings]. He was getting out of a meeting with the Syrians,” said Jumblatt, who is head of Lebanon’s Progressive Socialist Party and is largely considered one of the most prominent anti-Syrian Lebanese politician.
“I can’t tell you why they killed him, it could be for many reasons. Mughniyah was becoming a risk for Syria. They were involved,” Jumblatt said.
He did not rule out the possibility Israel also was involved, stating the Jewish state “had many scores to settle” with Mughniyah.
Mughniyah, one of the most wanted terrorists in the world, was killed in a bomb blast last week. He was responsible for infamous deadly attacks against the U.S. and Israel, including involvement in the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office released a statement denying responsibility for the assassination. An Olmert spokesman added that the prime minister learned of Mughniyah’s death through news reports.
Still, Hezbollah directly blamed Israel for the bombing and vowed retaliation. In a recorded speech played at Mughniyah’s funeral, Hezbollah chieftain Hassan Nasrallah said his terror group was ready for “open war.”
Jumblatt pointed to Nasrallah’s threats and to statements released today by the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that Israel would soon be destroyed by the “hands of Hezbollah” as major cause for concern for Lebanon.
“Iran and their proxy Hezbollah are seeking to bring more devastation to Lebanon and use our country as a base for their operations against Israel. Israel will probably answer back any attack,” said Jumblatt.
The politician called Hezbollah “and arm of Iran. They have nothing to do with the Lebanese people. I once thought that dialogue might be possible with Hezbollah, but it’s clear that’s not possible.”
In strong statements regarding Hezbollah last week, Jumblatt issued a national address in Lebanon warning the nation against succumbing “to the Iranian-Syrian black evil world.”
He told WND he was “extremely concerned” about further political assassinations in Lebanon carried out by the “treacherous regime” of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Syria has been widely blamed for a series of assassinations of Lebanese journalists and political figures, including the killing three years ago of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
Jumblatt’s accusations against Syria come amid a flurry of media reports the past few days claiming the Israeli Mossad assassinated Mughniyah, who was No. 1 on Israel’s most-wanted list of terrorists and topped the FBI’s most wanted list as well. However, the director of U.S. National Intelligence, Mike McConnell, last week raised the possibility internal Hezbollah factions or Syria may be to blame for Mughniyah’s killing.
According to Israeli defense officials, Mughniyah was the most important Hezbollah operative, directly planning most of the terror group’s major operations, including the 2006 raid of Israel’s northern border in which two soldiers were kidnapped, promoting Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon that year. The officials said unlike many other terror leaders who could be easily replaced, Mughniyah’s death was a major blow to Hezbollah, explaining it would take years to replace him.
Mughniyah led Hezbollah’s “international terror branch,” directly orchestrating attacks against foreign targets, according to Israeli security officials. He was widely considered Nasrallah’s successor.
Mughniyah was accused of helping to plan the 1983 Marine barracks attack in which 300 were killed and also the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut the same year, killing 63 people.
He was responsible for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA passenger jet and the murder of one of its passengers, a soldier in the U.S. Navy. Mughniyah was indicted for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires killing 85 people. A warrant was issued for his arrest for the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy also in Buenos Aires in which 29 people died. Argentinean officials have publicly pointed a finger at Iran for aiding in those attacks.
Also, serving as commander of Islamic Jihad in the 1980s, Mughniyah is accused of kidnapping dozens of Western hostages, including Americans, killing some of them, such as the CIA’s Middle East station chief.
According to foreign press reports, the Mossad reportedly tried to assassinate Mughniyah in a complex operation in southern Beirut in the 1990s.
Mughniyah reportedly lived a secretive life, routinely switching between locations in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. He is thought to have undergone multiple plastic surgeries and changed identities numerous times.
To interview Aaron Klein, contact M. Sliwa Public Relations by e-mail, or call 973-272-2861 or 212-202-4453.
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