Imad Mugniyah, the leader of Hezbollah’s military wing and a senior officer in Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, was killed in a car bombing in Damascus, Syria on Feb 12. Despite its potential ramifications, mainstream news didn’t seem to cover this potentially dangerous situation.
Cries of protest came from Hezbollah supporters, while the US and Israel expressed happiness over the alleged kidnapper and terrorist’s death.
The controversy however seems to be not between the traditional east-west rivalries that plague Israeli-Hezbollah relations, but that the Syrian government may have been complicit in the assassination.
If this was indeed the case, then it seems as if the traditional support that Syria has reportedly given Hezbollah may indeed be waning.
Or perhaps, the price on Mugniyah's head was simply too high for Syrian government officials to pass up.
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It would be awesome, if Syria was somehow complicit. The awesomest would be complicity between some elements of Hezbollah (or those close to Hezbollah) and Israel. Perhaps the part of Hezbollah that sees its best interest in political integration offered Mugniyah in exchange for concessions elsewhere.
Alternatively, Syria may be trying to bring Hezbollah back into line, or be trying to show that it can bring Hezbollah under control, if it wants to.
Or maybe its Iran trying to encourage distrust and give itself more leverage over the lovable militant scamps.
Hell, Hezbollah has always gotten support (arms, training, money, Halmark cards) from Syria and post-revolution Iran. However, since the departure of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud last December, there's been signs that Hezbollah, Syria and Iran may not always see eye to eye. Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is eager to reclaim some of Syria's prestige in the region by making itself a party to US activity, and this means compromise with the US regarding Israel - not something Hezbollah is keen on.
At the same time, Iran felt excluded during the last round of Middle East peace talks, during which Syria was officially embraced as a valuable partner and Iran was deliberately omitted (having refused to participate).
Either way, someone here made a deal to deliver Mugniyah's head. It could have been Israeli special ops, Hezbollah itself, Syrian or Iranian commandos. Best to see what happens in Hezbollah's area of influence - Lebanon and parts of Israel - in the coming days, to see the result.
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