Terrorist Spotting
Imad Mughniyah, one of the all-time terrorists, was reportedly spotted at an Iranian-Syrian summit just last week in Damascus.
Michael Ledeen reported on this for the National Review Online yesterday. Discussing the Iran-Syria terror alliance, Ledeen wrote:
That alliance remains intact, and provides the base of the terror war in Iraq today.
So it should not have surprised anyone that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flew to Damascus last Thursday to meet with Bashar Assad, nor was it surprising that among his entourage were key Iranian officials in charge of Hezbollah, probably including the operational leader, Imad Mughniyah. And in case our Middle East analysts were in doubt about the mission of the Iran-Syria partnership, a suicide bomber struck in Tel Aviv at about the same time Ahmadinejad and Assad were meeting.
The NY Sun follows up on the claim here. The Sun's Meghan Clyne gives a good, brief summary of Mughniyah's terror resume:
Mr. Mugniyah appears on the FBI's most wanted terrorists list along with Al Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, and the government has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture. Mr. Mugniyah, of Lebanese origin but said to be living now in Iran, is described by the FBI as the "alleged head of the security apparatus" for Lebanese Hezbollah. He was indicted by America for his role in hijacking TWA Flight 847 in June 1985, a terrorist act in which an American citizen and Navy diver, Robert Stethem, was beaten and tortured, shot in the head, and his body dumped out on the Beirut International Airport runway.
(Note: The German government recently released one of Mughniyah's associates, Mohammed Ali Hammadi - who aided in the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.)
Clyne also notes that Mughniyah has had contacts with al Qaeda's top leadership.
Why was Mughniyah at the terror summit? I would bet that the Iranians wanted us to see him there. They know that his presence indicated that terrorism was still their preferred foreign policy tool.
(Hat tip: Power Line)
Michael Ledeen reported on this for the National Review Online yesterday. Discussing the Iran-Syria terror alliance, Ledeen wrote:
That alliance remains intact, and provides the base of the terror war in Iraq today.
So it should not have surprised anyone that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flew to Damascus last Thursday to meet with Bashar Assad, nor was it surprising that among his entourage were key Iranian officials in charge of Hezbollah, probably including the operational leader, Imad Mughniyah. And in case our Middle East analysts were in doubt about the mission of the Iran-Syria partnership, a suicide bomber struck in Tel Aviv at about the same time Ahmadinejad and Assad were meeting.
The NY Sun follows up on the claim here. The Sun's Meghan Clyne gives a good, brief summary of Mughniyah's terror resume:
Mr. Mugniyah appears on the FBI's most wanted terrorists list along with Al Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, and the government has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture. Mr. Mugniyah, of Lebanese origin but said to be living now in Iran, is described by the FBI as the "alleged head of the security apparatus" for Lebanese Hezbollah. He was indicted by America for his role in hijacking TWA Flight 847 in June 1985, a terrorist act in which an American citizen and Navy diver, Robert Stethem, was beaten and tortured, shot in the head, and his body dumped out on the Beirut International Airport runway.
(Note: The German government recently released one of Mughniyah's associates, Mohammed Ali Hammadi - who aided in the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.)
Clyne also notes that Mughniyah has had contacts with al Qaeda's top leadership.
Why was Mughniyah at the terror summit? I would bet that the Iranians wanted us to see him there. They know that his presence indicated that terrorism was still their preferred foreign policy tool.
(Hat tip: Power Line)
posted by Thomas Joscelyn at 9:27 AM
<< Home