Mughniyeh’s Death: Keystone Kops in Damascus
There is something deeply satisfying about the flawlessly executed assassination of Islamofascist terror master Imad Mughniyeh, writes Youssef Ibrahim. "Sometimes a single bullet, or mini-bomb, blazes a path to clarity."
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Celebrating a car bomb is not the politically correct thing to do.
Yet there is something deeply satisfying about the assassination of Islamofascist terror master Imad Mughniyeh before the stroke of midnight the other day in the central command post of Islamofascist movements inside Damascus, Syria.
Whoever planned it scored a blow so hard, so disturbing, that it brought the secret services of Iran, Syria, Hamas, and Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah all together into Syria’s capital where they are now trying to figure out what happened.
In a chaotic eulogy, the man’s boss, Hezbollah’s chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, practically promised war on Israel — the presumed doer — America, and the West. Following nearly 24 hours of silence, the Syrian official media acknowledged the bomb in its bosom, decrying it as a “flagrant violation of international law” — the first time such concern for civility has been demonstrated by a regime steeped in murder.
Iran, the undisputed godfather to Hezbollah and hostage-taking, dispatched its foreign minister and its Revolutionary Guards Corps commander of the Quds force to commiserate. In Beirut two rallies of a hundred thousand each took place simultaneously the day after, one marking the three-year anniversary of the murder of Prime Minister Hariri, presumably by Syria, and another with uniformed Hezbollah mourners marching behind Mughniyeh’s coffin, led by his mother screaming, “Look what they did to my boy.” (Never mind the same Mrs. Mughniyeh lost two more boys, Jihad and Fouad, in 1984 and 1985, to car bombings of their own that went bad.)
Is this much ado about one terrorist? Not this case and not this one. Sometimes a single bullet or mini-bomb blazes a path to clarity. This upset shook a Syrian edifice of invulnerable macho terror, showing a way to widen a breach.
In short order the man in charge of Hezbollah’s special operations for nearly three decades — a man wanted in 42 countries; a killer of hundreds of Americans, including Marines, CIA folks, and diplomats; a man whose reach wrecked a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires as well as an American oil workers’ housing complex in Saudi Arabia; a multinational terrorist born in Lebanon, who resides in Tehran and travels under deepest Syrian cover — was blown away as he stepped out of an intelligence meeting in a plush Damascus residential neighborhood of his mentor state. And no one left a note.
The Islamofascist association is right to be upset. This is the sort of thing that can spread. For years car bombs made in Damascus have blown up Lebanese nationalists, starting in 2005 with a spectacular murder of a prime minister and 22 others. He was followed to the grave by scores of other Lebanese victims, parliamentarians, journalists, civil servants, and army generals at regular intervals, plus a three-month war with Fattah al-Islam, a Syrian-trained Islamofascist Palestinian group sent to wage war in Lebanon’s refugee camps last year.
For President Bashar Assad, the Damascus call last week was the first time he got return postage. Now new vistas open along with — macabre as it is — a new path, namely that bombings are a game good guys can play too, and very close to where President Assad lives and plans his.
It had all seemed to be too much one-way traffic in these past years anyway. Even Arabs were pining for a slap back, by Israel or some Lebanese. A verity reported not often enough is that Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas all grate badly the Arab underbelly and have for some time.
In the summer of 2006 the Arabs were all cheering on the Israeli army in its botched war on Hezbollah. Similarly in Gaza, Arabs look at the Israeli army retaliation against Hamas and its economic squeeze of Gaza favorably. A similar situation exists today over Syria, with many hoping someone (Israel again?) will take it down. Hence the suppressed Arab cheers for that Damascus bombing — whoever planted it.
Arab pundits never shy away from noting that for all its talk of militancy about Israel, and its proxy wars waged via Palestinians or Hezbollah, Syria has never fired a shot “in anger” to liberate its own Golan Heights, taken by Israel way back in 1967.
Syrian bravado notwithstanding, Damascus’ terror mask melted a bit the other day with the knowledge there is a lot more where this came from. Syrian calling stations are plentiful at home, in the Persian Gulf region, in Europe, and in Beirut, where the same sender can deposit new calling cards.
We may not know who did the deed, but it was so well done we know it can be done again. So why not sit back and watch Bashar Assad’s best men taken out for another dance?
Youssef M. Ibrahim, a former Middle East correspondent for the New York Times and Energy Editor of the Wall Street Journal is a freelance writer and Mideast political risk consultant based in New York.
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14 Comments
Tom W.:I like the cut of your jib.
This has to be one of the most clear-headed articles I’ve ever read on the subject of fighting jihadist terror. Bravo.
“Now new vistas open along with- macabre as it is- a new path, namely that bombings are a game good guys can play too[.]”
Exactly! And it’s not macabre at all. It’s hilarious.
Almost as funny as the gun-camera footage taken in Iraq, that shows helicopters disintegrating terrorists with 30mm cannons.
Feb 18, 2008 - 2:04 am Bill N:Methinks there is too much protesting here. What proof do we have as to exactly who was killed? Could Iran have just blown up some poor schnook so that Mughniyeh could have some breathing room free from pursuit to plan a horrible new atrocity?
Feb 18, 2008 - 3:08 am C Smith:@Bill N:
Feb 18, 2008 - 5:05 am Mark Stewart:There doesn’t seem to be much doubt at any level.
I had thought that perhaps Mughniyeh’s plans were inconvenient, and Iran or Syria itself had decided to liquidate him and blame Israel.
Wow, you just opened up a tremendous can of worms there.
It is certainly good that this terrorist is dead, though a slightly slower chain of events would have done much greater justice (if he could have seen, comprehended, and then departed from our world…)
One thing though, we don’t know who killed him or why. It is possible that people from his own side of the fight did this. It is pleasing to think that the US or Israel may have done him in, but to be accurate, you just have to say ‘We don’t know.’
Whatever Hezbollah does next, this time, Israel should act decisively. Hezbollah is likely to provide Israel with a cassus belli for destruction of Hezbollah. Israel should take advantage of this. If the West wants Syria and Iran out of Lebanon, whatever is coming next ought to provide all the excuse necessary to go ahead and make that happen. Something that must be accepted, however, is that in hunting and killing an enemy who hides behind civilians, there will be many civilian deaths. Better to get it over with now, in the way that you don’t usually pull off a Bandaid slowly, but rather in one quick pull.
Feb 18, 2008 - 5:43 am Gringo:If he was taken out by one of his own, some combo of Syria, Hezb, or Iran, the reaction has been very well dissimulated. OTOH, they are all very good at dissimulation.
I would doubt very much that the US did it. A CIA that spends more time trying to take down Dubya than Osama no longer has the will nor the capability for such a job.
By process of elimination, it would seem Mossad. If so, we all thank Mossad.
As all have said, we really don’t know.
Feb 18, 2008 - 6:43 am Chuck Pelto:TO: All
RE: Whoever….
….did it, I want to thank them for [tongue firmly in cheek]….
….taking out the ‘trash’.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
Feb 18, 2008 - 7:02 am tanstaafl:Following nearly 24 hours of silence, the Syrian official media acknowledged the bomb in its bosom; decrying it as a “flagrant violation of international law” the first time such concern for civility has been demonstrated by a regime steeped in murder…,
Irony…
For years car bombs made in Damascus have blown up Lebanese nationalists starting in 2005 with a spectacular murder of a Prime Minister and 22 others. He was followed to the grave by scores of Lebanese other victims, parliamentarians, journalists, civil servants and army generals at regular intervals, plus a three month war with “Fattah Al Islam” a Syrian-trained Islamofascist Palestinian group sent to wage war in Lebanon’s refugee camps last year.
Upon irony.
The bellowing outrage at the (reputed) death of Imad Mughniyeh falls on extremely hollow ears.
Feb 18, 2008 - 9:38 am Elroy Jetson:If this was an inside job, the talking points were not well rehearsed before hand. Syria seemed bewildered, Nasrallah went on a rant about Israel, and Iran is seeking to cover its own butt and find out what happened.
Feb 18, 2008 - 10:15 am ic:The car bomb turned on the kitchen light, and the rats went scurring in different directions. Chaos. That is why I think he was assassinated by the good guys. I would like to see another car bomb go off in Tehran, just to see how far we can push these idiots.
Whoever planned it scored a blow so hard, so disturbing, that it brought the secret services of … and Obama’s Carterite, and Hillary’s campaign bagman all together into Syria’s capital …
Anyway, the only thing that we know is, the CIA didn’t do it. They are too incompetence, and too anti Bush to have done it.
Feb 18, 2008 - 10:35 am legion:One of these, once a week, every week, until the job is done.
Mughniya was a good start.
Feb 18, 2008 - 2:04 pm john lynch:A minor quibble, but Syria did go to war against Israle in 1973 in the Golan.
Other than that, good riddance to bad rubbish.
Feb 18, 2008 - 4:25 pm Hotpatch 6:How do we know it was not a “work related” accident, i.e., a car bomb he was working on (or inspecting) that went off prematurely? Whatever the cause, I hope he is dog-paddling through eternity in an olympic-sized pool of melted pork fat.
Feb 19, 2008 - 12:17 pm Everett Martin:Right on!, Youssef. Youssef and I were colleagues at The Wall Street Journal, often commiserating on the ways of our editors. His knowledge of the Middle East runs deep and his contacts are always current. I am happy to have him share his views with us on Pajamas Media.
Get in touch, Youssef, I would love to reconnect with you.
Feb 20, 2008 - 8:10 am nolanimrod:“… and another with uniformed Hezbollah mourners marching behind Mughniyeh’s coffin, led by his mother screaming, “Look what they did to my boy.”
Think she saw “The Godfather,” or is that what the parent of a newly dead murdering bully always says?
Feb 24, 2008 - 3:59 pm