Israel calm as Mughniyeh assassination anniversary looms

Hezbollah this week will mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh, said to be the group’s chief of intelligence and security unit and mastermind of some of Hezbollah’s deadliest attacks on U.S. and Israeli targets. Mughniyeh was killed in 2008 in a massive car bombing in Damascus, which Hezbollah insists was caused by Israel. The Shiite terrorist group has repeatedly vowed to avenge Mughniyeh’s death.

Hezbollah plans the mark the anniversary of Mughniyeh’s death with a variety of events and rallies this week, and the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, is also expected to deliver a special speech.

An Israeli defense source told Israel Hayom that the defense establishment is not on any special alert. Rather, he said, they are on a standard and periodic alert which increases with the approach of all special anniversary dates in the Arab world. Since Mughniyeh’s assassination, there have been several attempts by Hezbollah to avenge his death, including through attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets abroad.

Just a few weeks ago, security forces in Azerbaijan arrested three citizens on suspicion of planning to assassinate a Chabad emissary in the capital of Baku. About a month ago, Thai authorities uncovered a terrorist cell with links to Hezbollah in Thailand, and before that, security forces thwarted a terror attack against Israelis in Bulgaria.

In a special report commemorating Mughniyeh that was aired Friday on Hezbollah’s TV network, “Al Manar,” a senior official in the group was quoted as saying that “Israel can never be calm. Hezbollah will avenge the murder of the blessed Mughniyeh even it takes 100 years.”