According to a National Security Agency (NSA) document leaked by American whistleblower Edward Snowden, Israeli naval commandos killed a top Syrian General during a dinner party at his beach house in 2008.
According to the document, an Israeli special forces unit known as Shayetet 13 landed near the northern Syrian port of Tartus, located General Muhammad Suleiman and shot him in the head and neck.
Unproven theories on the death of the Syrian official have circulated for years, including speculation that he was killed by rivals within the Syrian government.
The NSA and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office refused to comment on the claim, although the Intercept, a website created to follow Snowden’s leaks, reported a former US intelligence official saying: “We’ve had access to Israeli military communications for some time”.
Israel supposedly had multiple motives for going after the general, a close adviser to the Syrian President.
General Suleiman’s role in helping Iran arm and train Hizbollah is likely to be the reason for his assassination.
Suleiman, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s closest advisors, also headed security and construction of the Al Kibar nuclear facility destroyed by Israel in a 2007 air strike.
Special operations forces shot the senior official twice while he enjoyed a dinner at his luxury villa on the Syrian coast, the file reveals. The commandos later escaped by sea.
Israel has reportedly refused to confirm or deny its involvement in Suleiman’s death.
The NSA document also reports that the attack was the “first known instance of Israel targeting a legitimate government official.”
The covert killing occurred outside of an armed conflict and was therefore illegal under international law.
While investigating his death, the Syrian government discovered $800 million in the Suleiman’s home. The president, accusing the late general of treachery, “redirected the investigation from solving his murder to finding out how the general had acquired so much money.” It is still unclear as to why he had the money.
