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A senior Hezbollah commander, Salim Jamil Ayyash, believed to be behind the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike over the weekend, Saudi media outlets reported on Sunday.
The airstrike, which is part of Israel’s ongoing military operations in Syria, targeted Ayyash near the Syrian city of al-Qusayr, a region heavily associated with Hezbollah activity and support.
Ayyash, who was implicated in the 2005 bombing of Hariri’s motorcade in Beirut, had a longstanding bounty on his head from the U.S. government, offering a $10 million reward for his capture.
His death marks a significant escalation in the broader Israeli-Syrian conflict, where Israeli forces have increasingly focused on eliminating key figures associated with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group that has been a constant thorn in Israel’s northern border security.
Ayyash’s Infamous Role in Hariri’s Assassination
Ayyash’s notoriety stems from his involvement in the assassination of Rafik Hariri, a popular Lebanese politician and businessman, whose death in a devastating suicide bombing on February 14, 2005, shocked the Middle East and beyond.
Hariri’s assassination led to a massive international outcry and sparked the establishment of a United Nations-backed tribunal. The tribunal later convicted Ayyash in absentia for his role in orchestrating the attack, sentencing him to life imprisonment.
Alongside Ayyash, three other Hezbollah members were implicated in the attack, though the group, led at the time by Hassan Nasrallah, denied any involvement and refused to cooperate with the tribunal.
The assassination, which killed Hariri and 21 others, has been attributed to Hezbollah’s broader strategy to maintain its influence over Lebanon and its dealings with Syrian and Iranian interests in the region.
Following the verdict in 2020, Hezbollah, under Nasrallah’s leadership, continued to defy calls for Ayyash’s extradition, a stance that only fueled regional tensions.
Israel’s decision to target him is seen as a retaliatory strike against Hezbollah’s growing threats to Israel’s northern border.
Ayyash and Hezbollah’s Role in Regional Politics
Salim Jamil Ayyash was more than just a member of Hezbollah’s Unit 151 assassination squad.
His influence within the organization extended to several high-profile attacks against Lebanese politicians and military leaders, making him a key figure in Hezbollah’s clandestine operations.
In addition to his involvement in Hariri’s murder, Ayyash faced charges related to three other fatal attacks against Lebanese officials in the years following the 2005 bombing.
These actions aligned with Hezbollah’s broader strategy of eliminating perceived enemies of the group, further complicating Lebanon’s already volatile political landscape.
Ayyash’s death comes amid an ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which has been escalating since the Israeli government launched military operations in Syria.
With Hezbollah entrenched in Syria, Israel has steadily increased its military actions against the group, citing its significant presence in the region as a direct threat to Israel’s security.
Israel, which rarely comments on specific airstrikes, has taken responsibility for several attacks that have targeted senior Hezbollah commanders and other Iranian-backed forces in Syria, aiming to disrupt the group’s operations before they can reach Israeli borders.
Hezbollah’s Escalating Threat to Israel
Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets, primarily in Syria.
These operations are part of a broader Israeli strategy to prevent the group from gaining further military footholds near its northern border.
Ayyash’s death is part of a growing trend of Israel targeting Hezbollah’s top commanders in Syria, including several key leaders such as Fuad Shukr and Ali Karaki.
Shukr, Hezbollah’s senior military leader, was killed in July in response to a deadly rocket attack against the Golan Heights, while Karaki, who oversaw Hezbollah’s operations in southern Lebanon, was killed in a strike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut in September.
The latest airstrike targeting Ayyash marks a further intensification of Israeli military actions.
Since October 2023, when Hezbollah escalated its attacks against Israeli forces along the border, Israel has carried out numerous strikes, killing dozens of Hezbollah operatives and causing substantial damage to the group’s infrastructure in Lebanon and Syria.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), an estimated 3,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed since the start of the conflict, a staggering figure that highlights the magnitude of the threat Hezbollah poses to Israeli security.
Israel’s Broader Military Strategy in Syria and Lebanon
The airstrike that killed Ayyash comes as part of Israel’s ongoing military efforts in Syria, which have become more pronounced following the October 7 Hamas attacks that left over 1,200 Israelis dead and more than 250 taken hostage.
Israel has shifted its focus in the wake of these attacks to target Iranian-backed terrorist groups operating in Syria, including Hezbollah.
Since the start of the conflict, Israel has also targeted Syrian military air defenses and personnel, who are believed to be facilitating Hezbollah’s operations in the region.
Israel’s efforts have been particularly concentrated along the Golan Heights, where Hezbollah has launched multiple cross-border rocket attacks, as well as along the Lebanese border, where the group has increasingly carried out raids and attacks against Israeli communities and military posts.
The ongoing military campaign, which includes airstrikes, drone strikes, and limited ground operations in southern Lebanon, aims to neutralize the immediate threats posed by Hezbollah and its allies.
Despite the strikes, Hezbollah continues to maintain a strong presence in southern Lebanon, often using the region as a base for its operations against Israel.
Tensions have remained high since October 2023, with the IDF reporting that 40 Israeli civilians and 61 Israeli soldiers have been killed in cross-border skirmishes and military operations.
Furthermore, attacks from Syria and Iraq have added to the ongoing volatility, with several incidents resulting in casualties.
The Broader Context of the Conflict
The assassination of Salim Jamil Ayyash and its aftermath underscore the growing regional instability and the complex web of alliances and enmities that define the ongoing Israeli-Hezbollah conflict.
Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has become one of the most formidable military forces in the Middle East, providing support to the Syrian regime in its fight against opposition forces and engaging in cross-border operations against Israel.
The group’s relationship with Iran, along with its operations in Syria and Lebanon, has been a constant source of tension for Israel, which perceives Hezbollah as a direct threat to its sovereignty and security.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is further complicated by the political situation in Lebanon, where Hezbollah holds considerable sway.
Lebanon, a country already dealing with economic instability and political fragmentation, has become a battleground for the broader Middle East power struggle, with Hezbollah playing a central role in the country’s internal and external conflicts.
The killing of Ayyash adds to the growing list of Hezbollah casualties in the ongoing struggle between Israel and the group, with no end in sight to the violence and instability that has gripped the region for over a decade.
The Humanitarian Impact
The ongoing conflict has taken a significant toll on both Lebanon and Israel. The Lebanese health ministry recently reported that the death toll in Lebanon has surpassed 3,000, though it has not specified the exact breakdown between civilians and combatants.
Meanwhile, the IDF estimates that around 3,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in the conflict, a staggering loss for the group.
In Israel, the attacks along the northern border have claimed the lives of dozens of civilians and soldiers, further escalating the tensions that have marked the region for years. The humanitarian crisis has deepened in both countries, with civilians bearing the brunt of the ongoing violence.
The loss of life, combined with the destruction of infrastructure, has left both Lebanon and Israel facing uncertain futures as they navigate the complex dynamics of the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict.
Conclusion
The death of Salim Jamil Ayyash represents a key moment in the ongoing Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, one that has seen a marked increase in Israeli airstrikes targeting senior Hezbollah leaders in Syria.
As tensions continue to escalate along the Israeli-Lebanese border and in Syria, the wider Middle Eastern conflict remains as volatile as ever, with no clear end in sight to the violence and instability that has plagued the region for over a decade.
Ayyash’s death will likely fuel further hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, further entrenching the divisions that have come to define the broader Middle Eastern geopolitical landscape.