Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., August 05, 2008 Av 4, 5768 | | Israel Time: 02:11 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Reports: Syria's Hezbollah liaison was assassinated By Yoav Stern and Barak Ravid Mohammed Suleiman, a top military aide to Syrian President Bashar Assad whom Israel believes was in charge of arms transfers from Syria to Hezbollah, was killed by sniper fire last Friday, according to reports that appeared yesterday in the Arab press and on web sites affiliated with the Syrian opposition. Israel yesterday declined to either confirm or deny any connection with Suleiman's assassination. Advertisement This is the second time in the last two weeks that someone involved in arms smuggling to Hezbollah has been killed. Last week, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported that an Iranian Revolutionary Guard convoy that was ferrying arms to Hezbollah suffered an unexplained explosion that killed 15 people. Both Iran and Israel declined to comment on that incident. Though Israel declined to issue any official statement on Suleiman's assassination, one senior Israeli official commented: "This is an embarrassing incident for the Syrians, who are once again being portrayed as not in control of what happens in their territory." In February, Hezbollah master terrorist Imad Mughniyeh was assassinated in Damascus. Suleiman was thought to be in charge of overseeing both Iranian arms transfers to Hezbollah via Syria and shipments from Syria's own arms industry. He focused in particular on supplies of long-range rockets, including 220-millimeter rockets with a 70-kilometer range like the one that struck a Haifa railway garage during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, killing eight people. The first report of his death appeared Saturday on the Arab web site Al-Bawaba, which said Suleiman had been killed by a seaborne sniper. Yesterday, the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat reported that an unnamed senior Syrian officer in a "sensitive position" had been killed. The Free Syria web site, affiliated with the Syrian opposition, said that Suleiman was killed in Tartus, in northern Syria. Yet another web site offered more details, saying he was shot in the head while staying at his seaside villa in Tartus; that report added that immediately after the shooting, Syrian troops raided the area and arrested several residents of neighboring villas. One report added that Suleiman, whose rank was the equivalent of an Israeli brigadier general, occupied a senior position in Assad's bureau. However, there was no mention of the assassination in the official Syrian press. This may be due to the strategic sensitivity of Suleiman's role as Syria's liaison to Hezbollah. Suleiman was assassinated on Army Day, an annual commemoration of the establishment of Syria's army. To mark the day, Assad hosted a festive dinner for senior army officers, which Suleiman was slated to attend. If the media reports are accurate, he was killed after returning home from that event. Opposition web sites also reported that Suleiman had been a classmate of Assad's older brother, Basil, who was originally slated to succeed their father Hafez as president, but died in a car crash in the mid-1990s. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Shin Bet exploitation Is spying for Israel a fair swap for receiving medical treatment? A French feud French satirist denies making anti-Semitic remarks towards President Sarkozy's son.

Read & React Netanyahu: Kadima is selling Jerusalem to Israel's enemies Responses: 66 Court slams state for ignoring order to change West Bank fence route Responses: 49 Israel urges int'l pressure to stop Hezbollah arms smuggling Responses: 64 Rights group: Shin Bet coerces ill Palestinians to become informants Responses: 71 More Headlines 01:35 Defense Minister: Gaza operations are on way 19:29 High Court: Olmert can be suspended if he obstructs graft probe 23:07 MK Barakeh: We'll break any hand raised against Israel's Arabs 00:40 Kadima relieves Livni of vow to remain in party 02:11 Movement organizing to reestablish evacuated Gaza settlements 23:00 Israeli food company: We won't sell produce grown by Arabs 01:32 A maverick's life, post one / Forget hypocrisy and humbug 00:40 Or Akiva man suspected of conspiring to cause his mistress to miscarry 15:59 Pollard sues Israel for failing to grant him financial assistance 23:05 Caught on film: How Obama's note was stolen from Western Wall 01:52 Kidnapped man turns out to be victim of jealous husband, not robbers 22:29 Rights group: Shin Bet coercing ill Palestinians to become informants 22:58 Israel transfers 88 Fatah men who fled Gaza into West Bank 22:31 Satirical jab at Sarkozy's son sparks cries of anti-Semitism 12:09 Officials investigating threats of Al-Qaida attacks in Europe Previous Editions Select Day 04 aug 03 aug 01 aug 31 jul 30 jul 29 jul 28 jul 27 jul 25 jul 24 jul 23 jul 22 jul

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Isaac Maimon at Dreamshoppe Special summer sale. Make an offer now. You will be surprised. MBA in Israel in English APPLY NOW! Limited spaces available Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Yossi Avrahami Presents: New Luxurious Projects in North Tel Aviv & Eilat Your vacation starts here Israel Travel Center Guaranteed Lowest Rates Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved