Hezbollah has appointed Mustafa Mughniyeh to head its military wing. Mugniyeh is the son of previous military chief Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in Damascus in 2008, and nephew of Mustafa Badreddine, killed last week in Syria.
The Hezbollah terror organization has appointed Mustafa Mughniyeh as military commander, following the death of his uncle Mustafa Badreddine in mysterious circumstances near Damascus airport, well-informed Lebanese sources told the London-based Arabic language Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
Mughniyeh, 30, is the son of Hezbollah’s previous military chief Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in Damascus in 2008, and the son of Badreddine’s sister.
The source said that Mustafa was given the same name as his uncle because he was born when Badreddine was serving a jail term in Kuwait after he was convicted over bomb attacks in 1983.
Mustafa Mughniyeh is a mysterious personality who has never appeared in the media based on a decision by the party to give him high-ranking posts, the sources said.
Unlike his brother Jihad, who on many occasions had appeared behind Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, Mustafa has stayed away from the media spotlight.
He steered clear of the media when his brother Jihad was killed in an Israeli raid in the Syrian region of Qunaitra last January.
He is said to have joined his father on operational missions, and hence received an advanced education in commanding the terror organization.
Eliminated terrorist Mustafa Amine Badreddine (AP via Hezbollah)
Mustafa became close to his uncle after his father’s death in a 2008 car bombing in Damascus.
“It can be presumed that Mustafa’s identity has been kept mysterious, as opposed to his brother, to ensure that in the future he will be included in secret missions, such as those carried out by the 910 unit (Hezbollah’s unit in charge of overseas attacks), led by his uncle Mustafa Badreddine,” Israeli intelligence analyst Ronen Solomon told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The Lebanese sources said that Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, who allegedly was with Badreddine when he was assassinated, had traveled to Beirut to make the arrangements inside the Hezbollah leadership.
An Iranian investigation team is participating in the overview of the security of Hezbollah officials in Lebanon and Syria after remarks were made about “lax” security measures.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency said on Monday that Soleimani made a secret visit to Beirut last Saturday to express his condolences to Badreddine’s family.
“We have lost a leader and a brother,” the agency quoted Soleimani as saying.
“This tragedy is a great loss for the entire Islamic nation, as losing a figure like Zulfiqar (Badreddine) cannot be limited (only) to a certain area, country or suburb,” he added.
Hezbollah said explosion in Damascus that killed its top military commander was caused by insurgent shelling, and not Israel, and vowed to continue fighting alongside the Syrian government until the rebels are defeated.
Mustafa Badreddine was the highest-ranking Hezbollah commander to be killed since the group joined Syria’s civil four years ago.
Hezbollah’s statements indicate it will continue to be deeply involved in the conflict next door, which has killed more than 250,000 people since 2011, including more than 1,600 Hezbollah fighters.
By: United with Israel Staff