Thursday, February 14, 2008

Mughniyeh Assassination: Another Setback For Iran's Intelligence Agency

A Must Read Analysis From Pajamas media:

The assassination of Imad Mughniyeh, Iran’s top man in Syria and Lebanon, should set off alarm bells in Tehran. His assassination, according to Iranian media sources, took place in the Kafarsoose neighborhood of Damascus, close to an Iranian school and the headquarters of the Syrian Mukhabarat (intelligence agency). At first glance, the elimination of such a highly valuable Iranian asset, under the very noses of the Syrians, could be taken as a sign that Western intelligence agencies have managed to infiltrate the once seemingly impenetrable walls of Iran’s intelligence operations abroad.

To say that Mughniyeh was a sought-after man would be an understatement. He had been on U.S. and Israeli wanted lists since the early 80s for having participated in operations such as the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847, during which U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem was killed, as well as the 1994 AMIA bombing in Argentina, which killed 85 people.

Read more ....

My Comment: When I first heard of this assassination, I instinctively thought of Israel. But the more that I read about him, the more I realized that his enemies are many. Israel, The United States, France, Iraqi's with grudges against Syrians and Hezbollah, numerous Lebanese groups, and .... well .... you get the picture.

One thing that is clear is that after Afghanistan and Iraq, Intelligence services are now focusing their enormous resources on Iran, Syria, and their allies. Michael Leeden is right in his comment that intelligence estimates on Iran are changing, and the reason why is probably because their information is becoming more reliable and accurate.

If that is the case, opportunities to liquidate terror cell leaders like Imad Mughniyeh must now be starting to present themselves. If this is the case, expect more strikes against these individuals in the next few months.

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