Turkey Blog www.thememriblog.org/turkey
Columnist In Turkish Islamist Daily: Mughniya Has "Name Written In History"
Turkish columnist Ahmet Varol wrote in the radical Islamist daily Vakit: "[…] Some shahids have their names written in history. They deserve this honor for being milestones in Islam's struggle and for being the torches shedding light on the path to victory. "Imad Mughniya, an important military commander of Hizbullah that defeated the army of the Zionist terrorists, has joined the long list of such shahids. "This murder documents once again that the occupier Zionist state is a terrorist state. These bandit terrorists tail their targets all around the world, trap them, and murder them. "Now [this state] has added another to its series of its murders, choosing to do so when the No. 1 man responsible for these murders, war minister Ehud Barak, was in Turkey." Let us reiterate that touching his bloody hands and signing cooperation agreements with him brings no good to our country. "In an official statement that no one believes, the Zionist state said that it had nothing to do with this assassination [...] Ultimately, this statement will not cancel the reprisal, nor will it detract from the determination of the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance."
Source: Vakit, Turkey, February 15, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/5454.htm
Turkish Islamist NGO On Mughniya Assassination: "This Lowly Attack Will Not Be The Last By U.S., Israel"
A statement by the Turkish Islamist NGO Ozgur-Der on the Mughniya assassination, posted on the Islamist news portal Haksoz.net, read: "The Zionist murderer Israel has committed another murder. Imad Mughniya, one of the leaders and symbols of the honorable Lebanese Islamic resistance against the U.S. and Israel, was martyred by Israel-U.S. cooperation. "We believe that the martyrdom of Lebanon’s heroic son Mughniya will not weaken the Islamic resistance, but will only strengthen our determination. We send our condolences and our congratulations to the Lebanese Hizbullah movement and to all Islamic movements in the world. "We reiterate our belief in the fact that our lives that are dedicated to Allah will be avenged many times over, and will only become stronger with each added martyr. "This lowly attack will not be the last to be committed by the U.S. and Israel, which have shown in our region all kinds of savagery of oppression, torture, massacres, and embargos." The fact that a leading name of the Zionist gang [i.e. Ehud Barak] was in Turkey at the time of Mughniya's assassination is very telling. The Turkish Republic, which hosted this murderer, has shown complicity in the assassination. The Turkish president, prime minister, and chief of general staff, who were photographed with the Zionist minister of aggression of the crime gang called 'Israel' have trampled our people's and our brethren's sense of justice, and have committed an historic crime. "We once again call on the AKP government, and on all authorities, to stop giving empty advice and wishes, and to stop showing attitudes devoid of content, in the face of the murders by the Zionist gang."
Source: Haksoz.net, Turkey, February 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/5455.htm
Turkish Islamist Website: "Legendary Commander Imad Mughniya Martyred; Quds, Islamic Umma Will Never Forget You, Ya Shahid!"
The Turkish Islamist website Velfecr.com mourned the assassination of Hizbullah leader Imad Mughniya and praised him as of the greatest commanders of Islamic resistance, who was behind the biggest operations against the Americans and Zionists. The website said that Mughniya had conducted the operation of kidnapping two Zionist soldiers, and had commanded the resistance front that defeated the Zionist enemy in July 2006. The website sent its congratulations and condolences to Hizbullah and all freedom fighters for the martyrdom of the great commander, and quoted Iranian sources as saying "The shahid Mughniya was a golden page in the fight against Zionism."
Source: Velfecr.com, Turkey, February 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/5420.htm
MEMRI Blog www.memriblog.org/
"Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" Editor: Mughniya's Hands Stained With Blood
The editor of the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Tareq Al-Hamid, has criticized the Arab elements who sponsored Imad Mughniya or who are lamenting his death. Al-Hamid expressed his amazement at how Syria had given asylum to a dangerous man whose hands were stained not only with the blood of Americans and Israelis, but also with the blood of Arabs. He also criticized Hamas for calling Mughniya a hero, and criticized Bahrain for mourning the death of a man who trained fighters in Iraq, thus contributing to religious tensions in that country.
Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, February 15, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/5453.htm
Muqtada Al-Sadr Declares Three Days Of Mourning For Mughniya; Source: Mughniya Trained Mahdi Army, Assassination Squads
The Sadrist Shi'ites in Iraq, led by Muqtada Al-Sadr, have declared a three-day mourning period for Imad Mughniya. An Iraqi security source said that Mughniya had entered Iraq via Iran, and had trained some 500 members of the Mahdi Army, which belongs to the Sadrists. He added that he had also trained a number of squads in planning and carrying out assassinations within Iraq.
Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, February 15, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/5452.htm
Mughniya Biographer: No Proof That Assassinated Man Is Mughniya
The Egyptian researcher Majdi Kamal, biographer of Imad Mughniya, has said that if Mughniya was dead then he died a natural death some time ago, and that Hizbullah had decided to exploit the anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri to stage Mughniya's martyrdom. Kamal raised another possibility – that Mughniya was still alive, because there was no proof that the man killed in the car was him.
Source: Alarabiya.net, February 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/5447.htm
Kuwaiti Paper: Mughniya Was Killed In "Work Accident"
The Kuwaiti daily Awan reported, from a knowledgeable Arab source, that Imad Mughinyua was killed as he was preparing a car bomb. The source said that Mughniya had prepared several car bombs for sending to Lebanon in order to prevent the March 14 Forces from holding a rally to mark the third anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri.
Source: Awan, Kuwait, February 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/5446.htm
Nasrallah At Mughniya Funeral: Open War On Israel
In statements at yesterday's funeral of senior Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniya, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah stated that Mughniya's blood would eradicate the Zionist entity and would increase strength and determination to continue the resistance to ultimate victory. He said that Mughniya would leave behind him tens of thousands of young men trained and ready for martyrdom, and that because of him the Islamic resistance was today at its height of readiness to confront any aggression or war that would come. Nasrallah declared "open war" on Israel, stating that by committing a murder outside the natural territory of the battle, the Zionists had crossed all borders. He also hinted that Hizbullah's response would also be outside these borders. Addressing the March 14 Forces in Lebanon, he said that Lebanon would not be Israeli or American, but would remain the country of the resistance.
Source: http://www.ghaliboun.net/, February 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/5438.htm
Syrian Reactions To Mughniya Assassination
Syrian Interior Minister Bassam Abd Al-Majid said that Syria condemns the cowardly terrorist act of Mughniya's assassination, and that it sends its condolences to the Lebanese people and to Mughniya's family. The Syrian government daily Al-Thawra reported that Mughniya had recently entered Syria under a false name, and had lived in Soussa village as an ordinary resident, which delayed identifying him. The paper also said that all evidence from the investigation of the bombing led to the terrorist fingers of Israel.
Source: Al-Thawra, Syria, February 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/5411.htm
More Reactions To Mughniya Assassination
The London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reports that according to knowledgeable Syrian and Iranian sources, a short time before the bombing that killed him, Imad Mughniya had met with a senior Syrian security official near the village of Soussa.
An Iranian source told the paper that Mughniya had left Iran some three weeks ago en route to Damascus, for a meeting with senior Syrian and Hizbullah officials and with Khaled Mash'al. According to the source, Mughniya had recently been active in Iraq, particularly in the Karbala region near the Iranian border.
Another senior Iranian official told the paper that Mughniya had lived in three countries – Syria, Iran, and Lebanon – and had customarily moved between them using several passports, some of them European.
The Iranian official called Mughniya the person closest to Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a highly experienced strategist, and the brain behind Hizbullah's successful operations in the war against Israel. He called the assassination a tragedy and said it was a blow to Hizbullah's security apparatus, and that the organization was expected to go into a period of shock.
The Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa also reported that before the bombing a secret security meeting took place, with the participation of Syrian military chief Assef Shawkat and senior officials from Hizbullah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, among them Imad Mughniya and Khaled Mash'al.
Sources: Al-Siyassa, Kuwait; Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, February 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/5410.htm
Palestinian Factions Respond To Mughiya Assassination
Senior Hamas official Khaled Al-Batash has accused Israel of being behind the assassination of Mughniya, and has demanded that the resistance factions put a stop to the "crimes" of the occupation with all their might.
Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades have threatened a "shaking response," and said that in the coming days the occupation can expect surprises, including the use of a new weapon. Senior organization official Abu Qadi said that the organization's fighters have been instructed to respond swiftly to Mughniya's assassination. Islamic Jihad called Mughniya's death a loss to the entire Arab world and to the Muslim ummah.
Sources: Al-Quds Al-Arabi, London; Al-Akhbar, Lebanon, February 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/5408.htm
Reactions To Mughniya Assassination
In a communiqué, Hizbullah accused "the Israelis and the Zionists" of assassinating senior Hizbullah official Imad Mughniya, and declared that it would continue with the resistance until victory, "however many victims there may be."
A communiqué by the monitoring committee of the Lebanese opposition stated that "the terrorist assassination" would have significant consequences for the struggle against the Zionist enemy. Ibrahim Al-Amin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hizbullah, wrote in the paper's editorial that the strike on Mughniya was the hardest blow to Hizbullah ever. He said that the great difficulty in obtaining information about Mughniya made the enemy's reaching him very big and frightening.
The Lebanese daily Al-Safir reported that Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah had already nominated a replacement for Mughniya, but did not give his name.
Sources: http://www.ghaliboun.net/, Al-Akhbar, Al-Safir, Lebanon, February 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/5401.htm
Organization Threatens To Assassinate Syrian Military Intelligence Chief
In an announcement on February 12, the day Imad Mughniya was killed, an unknown organization calling itself the Protectors of Syria threatened to assassinate Assef Shawkat, Syria's military intelligence chief and brother-in-law of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.
The announcement read: "With Allah's help, we started with the companions of Assef Shawkat – who was saved this time – but next time he will be the target."
The organization promised to act against the regime until it recognized civil and political rights and freed the Damascus Declaration prisoners.
Source: Elaph.com, February 13, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/5414.htm
Iran Blog www.thememriblog.org/iran
Iranian Website: Israelis Must Be Doubly Cautious Worldwide
An article on the Iranian website Tabnak, which is identified with former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Mohsen Rezai, stated: "The U.S.'s support for the assassination of Imad Mughniya makes it responsible for the possible consequences... consequences that need not necessarily be directly connected to the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon [i.e. Hizbullah]... which will be found amongst Muslims in various points in the world... " Israel's military and political leaders must know that with their own hands they have created a new front for conflict with the Islamic resistance outside the borders of Lebanon... Israeli soldiers leaving the borders of occupied Palestine must be doubly cautious not to be trapped in a similar payback operation... "Despite the assassination of one of Hizbullah's military commanders, the coming days and months will prove that the Israelis have chosen the wrong time and place for this operation."
Source: Tabnak.ir, Iran, February 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/5448.htm
Iranian FM In Lebanon For Mughniya Funeral
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki arrived in Lebanon on Thursday to attend the funeral of Imad Mughniyah. Mottaki also conveyed a message from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
Source: Fars, Iran, February 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/5450.htm
Iran Friday Sermon: Joy Expressed Over Mughniya's Assassination – A Blot On Reputation Of Global Arrogance
In the Tehran Friday sermon, Iran's Expediency Council Chairman and provisional prayer leader Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani called the happiness expressed by the U.S. and Israel over the assassination of senior Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniya a blot on the reputation of the global arrogance. Rafsanjani told thousands of worshipers at the Tehran University central campus, "The countries that have apparently hoisted the banner of the international campaign against terrorism are today rejoicing over this terrorist act that led to martyrdom of this great figure." He added, "Hajj Imad Mughniya was martyred brutally, and now they are launching a campaign against him. They are, in these days, publishing thousands of articles in the Western and Arab world media accusing this great man of having committed a long list of terrorist acts and other deeds, while he is no longer alive to defend himself; his friends and fellow combatants must do so."
"The most shameful point for the arrogance is that the Americans and the Israelis, as well as some other Western countries, openly expressed delight over the assassination of this figure." Rafsanjani added, "They lost the remainder of their blotted reputation after this last state sponsored assassination, since they expressed happiness over a terrorist act, which should have been condemned, whereas no type of terrorism is by any means justifiable." He also expressed his appreciation for Tehrani worshipers for announcing a rally following prayers to commemorate Mughniya and the other martyrs. He stressed, "We are opposed to terrorist acts of all types, but we do not consider jihad, resistance for materializing absolute rights, and a campaign against occupation aimed at liberating one's own motherland terrorist acts, since such moves are righteous uprising."
Source: IRNA, Iran, February 15, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/5437.htm
Iranian Leaders To Nasrallah: Mughniya "Example For Young Generation To Follow," Assassination "Will Boost Resistance"
In his message of condolence yesterday to Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah over the assassination of Imad Mughniya, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed outrage at "Israeli state terrorism, which targeted the young Lebanese fighter."
He further said that the "martyrdom of the faithful and devoted fighter is considered a great blessing... the life and death of such a man could make nations vigilant... He is an example for the young generation to follow."
Khamenei said that the criminal and blood thirsty Zionists should know that the sacred bloods of martyrs such as Mughniyeh will promote the culture of resistance and martyrdom.
Also, Iran's Expediency Council Chairman Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani also sent a message to Nasrallah, saying that "the assassination of this man will boost and unify the resistance forces."
Below is the text of Khamenei's letter to Nasrallah.
"In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"Dear brother Hojjat ul-Islam Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah,
"The martyrdom of our mujahid, devoted and selfless brother Hajj Imad Mugniya was a great victory and prosperous end for him, and is a source of honor for the Lebanese nation – a nation that has been able to produce such a great man and offer him to the fight for freedom and resistance against oppression.
"Although the loss of this free, prominent, and selfless man is very painful for all honorable people and all those who were familiar with him, especially for his parents, wife, dear children, friends, and others, the life and death of people like him are an epic that awaken nations, set examples for the youth, and create bright prospects and pave the way for achieving these prospects.
"The crime-ridden and bloodthirsty Zionists must know that the holy blood of martyrs like Imad Mughniya create thousands of other Mughniyas, and this doubles the force of resistance against oppression, corruption, and insurgency. Men like this honorable martyr gave up their peace and material possessions to defend the oppressed and fight against oppression and arrogance. And this is a highly valuable thing which makes the human conscience bow as a mark of respect.
"May Allah bestow Paradise on him and on all mujahidin who strive for the sake of righteousness. I hereby express my condolences and congratulations over this great martyrdom to you, his honorable family, the esteemed youth of Hizbullah, the resistance forces, and all the people of Lebanon.
"Greetings be upon him and you and Allah's mercy,
"Sayyid Ali Khamenei"
Sources: IRNA, Iran, February 14, 2008; ISNA Iran, February 15, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/5436.htm
Iran, Syria To Form Fact-Finding Team For Mughniya Assassination
An Iranian Foreign Ministry official said Friday a joint fact-finding team will be set up by Iran and Syria to probe the assassination of senior Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniya. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali-Reza Sheikh Attar told a Friday prayer congregation in a pre-sermon lecture today that the decision followed Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki's talks with Syrian officials.
Source: IRNA, Iran, February 15, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/5435.htm
Iranian Reactions To Mughniya Assassination
In a message of condolence to Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed his mourning over the loss of senior Hizbullah official Imad Mughniya, and noted that his life and death would lay a path and serve as an example for many young people.
He added that the assassination would double the resistance against the oppressors, i.e. the U.S. and Israel.
Syrian Ambassador to Iran Ahmad Mousavi wrote that the assassination would severely shake the Zionist regime and would cost it dearly.
Iranian Parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee member Reza Talai Nik said that the assassination was a great loss to Hizbullah but that it would not detract from its strength or from its determination to continue the armed struggle.
The Iranian website Aftab stated that it was impossible to ignore the intelligence and security collaborastion of some Arab countries in the assassination. He said that the collaboration had come about because Israel's loss in the 2006 war was also a loss for the Arab allies of the U.S. and Israel.
According to Lebanese sources, the car bombing also killed one of Mughniya's entourage and wounded two others, whose names were not given.
Sources: Aftab, ISNA, IRNA, Iran, February 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/5403.htm
Hizbullah Forces On Alert Following Mughniya Assassination
The Iranian news agency Fars reports today on yesterday's bombing in Damascus, in which Hizbullah operations commander 'Imad Mughniya and Hussein Khalil, advisor and right hand of Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, were killed. The bombing took place near an Iranian school and close to a Syrian intelligence base. It was reported that at the time of the bombing, a conference was taking place nearby, attended by the heads of Palestinian organizations, among them Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mash'al. It was also reported that following the assassination, Hizbullah forces in southern Lebanon went on alert.
Sources: Fars TV, Fars, Iran, February 13, 2008
