BBC: Syria 'to name Mughniyeh killer'

BBC ^ | Friday, 15 February 2008, 13:39 GMT | BBC Staff

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Syria 'to name Mughniyeh killer'

Iranian TV said a booby-trapped car had exploded next to Mughniyeh's

Syria has said it will soon present "irrefutable" proof of who was behind the killing of Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh in the capital, Damascus.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem would not discuss the ongoing investigation, but insisted the world would "soon hear the results of this mighty effort".

Meanwhile, Iranian TV has broadcast a video reportedly of Tuesday's bombing.

On Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah blamed Israel for the blast and warned it was ready for "open war".

Israel has rejected the claims, but nonetheless has put its embassies around the world on high alert and boosted troop deployments on the Lebanese border.

'Secret investigation'

Speaking after meeting his Iranian counterpart in Damascus, Mr Moualem said the Syrian security services had devoted huge resources to their investigation into "this despicable crime" and would soon unmask the killer.

	The fighter Imad Mughniyeh was the target of lots of intelligence agencies - he was a backbone of the Islamic resistance Walid al-Moualem Syrian Foreign Minister Damascus in shock Israel increases security

"As a state, we will irrefutably prove the party involved in this crime and who stands behind it. An investigation is ongoing," he told reporters on Thursday. "We hope that you will soon hear the results of this mighty effort."

Mr Moualem declined to say whether the security forces had detained anyone in connection with the attack or name the chief suspects.

"I cannot comment to preserve the secrecy of the investigation," he said.

"The fighter Imad Mughniyeh was the target of lots of intelligence agencies. He was a backbone of the Islamic resistance."

Nevertheless, Mr Moualem asserted Mughniyeh's death had "assassinated all efforts for peace" between Syria and Israel.

IMAD MUGHNIYEH Born southern Lebanon 1962 Indicted for 1985 hijack of TWA airliner Accused of involvement in 1990s Buenos Aires bombings On FBI Most Wanted list since 2001 Notorious 'terror mastermind' Who are Hezbollah? Media spotlight on killing

The two countries remain technically at war and tensions between them have risen in recent months, with Israeli jets violating Syrian airspace and the government demanding Damascus abandon its support for Hezbollah.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, was, however, adamant that Israel lay behind Tuesday's bombing.

"The Zionist entity will not harvest the fruit," he warned.

On Friday morning, the Iranian Arabic-language TV channel, al-Alam, broadcast what it said was footage taken with a mobile phone of the bombing.

The report claimed the video showed the explosion of a booby-trapped car parked next to Mughniyeh's vehicle. It said the bomb was detonated by remote control.

'Open war'

Mr Moualem's comments came hours after Sheikh Nasrallah blamed Israel for his death and said its war against the Jewish state was not over.

"Zionists, if you want this sort of open war, then let the whole world hear, so be it!" he told crowds of mourners at Mughniyeh's funeral in Beirut.

Nasrallah blamed Israel for Imad Mughniyeh's assassination

Sheikh Nasrallah said that Israel thought that killing "would lead to the destruction of the resistance... but they are wrong".

"The blood of Imad Mughniyeh will make them [Israel] withdraw from existence," he insisted.

Mughniyeh, in his late 40s, had been variously described as special operations or intelligence chief of Hezbollah's secretive military wing, the Islamic Resistance.

He was top of the US "most wanted" list until he was replaced by Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders following the 11 September 2001 attacks.

Analysts say his death is a significant blow to Hezbollah, which battled Israel in the 2006 Lebanon war with help from its Iranian and Syrian backers.

Hezbollah was founded in 1982 by a group of Shia Muslim clerics after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. It has emerged in recent years as a major political and military force in Lebanon, after military successes against Israel.

[nuconvert]

My that was fast - lol.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Here we go....

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

Here we go.

[MindBender26]

Tehy will scream from the minarets: “It was the Joos, The Joos!”

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

How about....a video tape of the blast....now that’s interesting....

[ASA Vet]

Sheikh Nasrallah is now target #1.

[Lurker]

Let me guess. It starts with an "I" and ends with an "L".

L

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Mr Moualem asserted Mughniyeh's death had "assassinated all efforts for peace" between Syria and Israel.

Does he mean that Syria will stop calling for Israel to give up land and get nothing in return like they currently do? How is that a bad thing?

[.cnI redruM]

Compared to their efforts in identifying who killed Lebanon’s PM, this one was a snap!

[SunkenCiv]

I suspect Syria will name the UN entity investigating the Hariri assassination. ;')

Syria has said it will soon present "irrefutable" proof of who was behind the killing of Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh in the capital, Damascus. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem would not discuss the ongoing investigation, but insisted the world would "soon hear the results of this mighty effort"... Speaking after meeting his Iranian counterpart in Damascus, Mr Moualem said the Syrian security services had devoted huge resources to their investigation into "this despicable crime" and would soon unmask the killer... "As a state, we will irrefutably prove the party involved in this crime and who stands behind it. An investigation is ongoing," he told reporters on Thursday. "We hope that you will soon hear the results of this mighty effort." ...Nevertheless, Mr Moualem asserted Mughniyeh's death had "assassinated all efforts for peace" between Syria and Israel... The two countries remain technically at war and tensions between them have risen in recent months, with Israeli jets violating Syrian airspace and the government demanding Damascus abandon its support for Hezbollah... On Friday morning, the Iranian Arabic-language TV channel, al-Alam, broadcast what it said was footage taken with a mobile phone of the bombing.

Dang, that was just dumb luck to just happen to be filming some parked cars with a mobile phone when the bomb went off. REMARKABLE journalism. /sarc

[Mach5]

There’s a train of thought in another FR thread that the Iranians did it to cover up their involvement with 9/11 - through Mughniyeh.

[crosslink]

I saw a post on Wed that had a reporter who knew this man. He said a team of 8 special forces types landed in Damascus on Monday per his sources. He believed that Iran was afraid he may be captured and talk about their role in the training of the 911 muscle hijackers. He thinks they took him out because only someone he trusted could have got that close. So take your pick, ours special forces guys, Masad, Hesbalah infighting or Iran.

Not fun being a super terrorist

[John123]

Is the killer the Butler? A Quaker? A Butler who happens to be a Quaker?

[keeper53]

Gabriel Allon?

[John123]

ongoing investigation

What ongoing investigation? You guys don't have anything resembling an investigative unit unless you are talking about your torturers...

[goldstategop]

The assassins were professionals and long gone. I doubt the Syrian/Iranian investigation will lead anywhere.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[nuconvert]

Lebanese, (it happened the day before the anniversary of Hariri’s assassination), or Mossad

[Southack]

Heck, it’s going to get interesting even if Syria backs down and refuses to finger anyone after their announcement here!

Bring it on!

[OB1kNOb]

"The Zionist entity will not harvest the fruit," he warned.

It appears they picked one rotten apple off the tree already.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

i think this thread has an embedded link to some discussion on ...who done the deed:

Who Was Imad Mughniyeh?

[Kerretarded]

Let’s see.....1) The Great Satan (USA) 2) The Little Satan (Israel)......man, I bet that took them HOURS to come up with.

[maquiladora]

Report: Palestinians arrested in Mugniyah assassination investigation

A Lebanese security sources said Friday that a joint investigation by Syria, Iran and Hizbullah into the assassination of senior Hizbullah commander Imad Mugniyah was well under way and suspects had been arrested in Damascus.

The suspects arrested were mostly Palestinians residing in Syria, the Lebanese source said.

-------------------------------------

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3507229,00.html

I'm guessing these are probably people indirectly involved. They may have been providing assistance to Mossad or given help bypassing Mugniyah's security.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

And about the claim...

The report claimed the video showed the explosion of a booby-trapped car parked next to Mughniyeh's vehicle.

It looks to me like the explosion was in the car...that Mughniyeh was in.

[txhurl]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1970437/posts

I think Iran did it. They have to sever loose strings before they are taken down.

Syria knows they’re going down a dead-end road with their Iranian alliance.

[txhurl]

ping to #12

[Redleg Duke]

"Let me guess. It starts with an "I" and ends with an "L"."

You clever fellow, you are so right! The purpetrator is.....(drum roll)....

"It's Lurker L"!

:-)

[Alter Kaker]

Syria announces that it has irrefutable evidence that the killers of Moughniyah are the International Jew and the Evil Imperialist Yankee. The Syrian Ministry of Propaganda then released the following illustration of the accused perps:

[Daus]

Let me guess. It starts with an "I" and ends with an "L".

Too easy. Remarkably enough, compounding a bad couple weeks for the Mormons, Syria will name THEM as the killer. :)

Who saw that coming? :)

[massgopguy]

Miss Scarlet did it in the Dining Room with a candlestick...that whore.

[r9etb]

Mr Moualem declined to say whether the security forces had detained anyone in connection with the attack or name the chief suspects. "I cannot comment to preserve the secrecy of the investigation," he said.

They won't name Israel, unless they're already planning to go to war with Israel. I don't think they are ready or willing to go to war over this.

So what they'll do, is blame somebody from Lebanon or even Syria itself, who is an agent of a group that they will claim is funded or supported by the US or Israel. And then they'll go after this group, etc....

But what they'll really be doing, is going after the opponents of Bashir Assad. This will be Assad's excuse for purging the opposition without having to admit there is one.

[elhombrelibre]

I read a report about 8 hours ago where a journalist talked to a lady near the site of the explosion; she said the police asked fewer questions of her than she’d have even asked had she been investigating. The dictatorship in Damascus will use this as a pretext for its ongoing war with Israel. Assad’s dictatorship should be destroyed for the blood it has on its hands. That blood includes Israelis, Lebanese, Americans, Iraqis, and our coalition partners in Iraq. Any hostile acts by Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran against any of our allies should lead to a massive and unremitting aerial onslaught against those aggressors to destroy their military infrastructures and their abilities to conduct war, with the specific minimum goal of not stopping until we have assured the destruction of their missiles and nuclear weapons programs. Regime change should be accomplished by those in Syria and Iran who prefer self-rule to the squalor of Syria's Baathist regime and Iran's mad mullah theocracy.

[APRPEH]

it should only be so.

[ßuddaßudd]

I sure would like to take credit for this POS’s death.

[GVnana]

Car bombs aren’t really the Israeli style...

[Kerretarded]

There’s a train of thought in another FR thread that the Iranians did it to cover up their involvement with 9/11 - through Mughniyeh.

One thought immediately came to mind:

- "The Ezekiel Option" - by Joel C. Rosenberg, basically Russia and Iran stage an "incident" and blame it on USA and Israel to start an all-out campaign on Israel. Remember, Ahmadinejad has stated that he wishes to start events rolling which will bring forth the 12th imam.

Iran president paves the way for arabs' imam return

[kalee]

Very interesting.

[jveritas]

If the Syrians will be stupid enough to try to do something against Israel the terrorist regime in Damascus will be destroyed once and for all.

[elhombrelibre]

I certainly hope so; it is long overdue and well deserved.

[txhurl]

J, have you seen this? Very under-discussed theory from Ken Timmerman

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1970437/posts

Gotcha! (Ken Timmerman interviewed on assassination of Imad Mugniyeh)

[bray]

We need to know who to give the Medal of Honor to. One less cockroach.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[Lancey Howard]

[Lurker]

They won't name Israel, unless they're already planning to go to war with Israel.

Syria is at war with Israel. They're just using proxies to conduct it.

The rest of your theory is fairly sound, though.

L

[elhombrelibre]

Under President Bush, Mughniyeh mysteriously dies in a bombing that shows Assad’s impotence. Under Clinton or Obama, Assad and Mughniyeh continue to run rampant. Hillary’s foreign policy adviser, and Jimmy Carter’s, Zbigniew Brzezinski, was in Syria buttering up Assad when this happened! This speaks volumes about why an Obama or a Hillary presidency is a threat to America and why we will need to support McCain even if he isn’t the best or most conservative conservative.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Quiet Pride,,....Nice Job.

[txhurl]

Zbigniew Brzezinski is Obama’s FP advisor.

China is Hillary’s FP advisor.

[cowdog77]

No one is better at taking out the trash than Israel.

[elhombrelibre]

Thanks for the correction. And I know you’re right, and I got confussed.

[The Electrician]

Syria has said it will soon present "irrefutable" proof of who was behind the killing of Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh in the capital, Damascus.

"And as soon as we have fabricated and planted the evidence, and have coerced written confessions out of several "fall-guy" collaborators who will already have been executed, we will share that proof with the world", he went on to say...

[blam]

"Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem would not discuss the ongoing investigation, but insisted the world would "soon hear the results of this mighty effort".

Oh, I'm breathlessly waiting.

Good riddance of this POS!