18 July 2012 Damascus bombing explained

18 July 2012 Damascus bombing
Partof:	the Battle of Damascus (2012) (during Syrian civil war)
Native Name:	تفجير مجلس الأمن القومي
Native Name Lang:	ar
Location:	Rawda Square, Damascus, Syria
Target:	Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Cabinet members^[1]
Coordinates:	33.5142°N 36.2786°W
Type:	Assassination
Fatalities:	At least 4^[2]
Injuries:	At least 2
Perpetrators:	undetermined

The 18 July 2012 Damascus bombing of the National Security headquarters in Rawda Square, Damascus, killed and injured a number of top military and security officials of the Syrian government. Among the dead were the Syrian Defense Minister^[3] and Deputy Defense Minister.^[4] The incident occurred during the Syrian Civil War, and is considered to be one of the most notorious events to affect the conflict. Syrian state-controlled television reported that it was a suicide attack while the opposition claims it was a remotely detonated bomb.

Bombing

The attack, during a meeting of the Central Crisis Management Cell comprising ministers and a number of heads of security agencies, resulted in the death of the Syrian Defense Minister General Dawoud Rajiha.^[3] Also killed were Assef Shawkat, president Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law and deputy defense minister, the assistant to the vice president General Hasan Turkmani,^{[2] [5]} and Hafez Makhlouf, head of investigations at the Syrian Intelligence Agency.^[6] However, Hafez Makhlouf was also reported to be wounded.^[7] The country's intelligence and national security chief^[8] Hisham Ikhtiyar was seriously wounded.^[9] There were conflicting reports on the fate of the Interior minister Mohammad al-Shaar with initial accounts stating that he had also been killed, but later state TV reported that he survived although wounded.^[10] Additional reports stated that he was in stable condition.^[11] Al-Shaar was reported dead later, according to Al Jazeera.^[12] Mohammed Saeed Bekheitan, the national secretary of the Ba'ath Party, was also wounded in the bombing.^[13] On 20 July 2012, the death of Hisham Ikhtiyar was confirmed by Syrian authorities.^[14]

Victims

• General Dawoud Rajiha – Defense Minister – confirmed dead.
• General Assef Shawkat – President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law and Deputy Defense Minister – confirmed dead.
• General Hasan Turkmani – Assistant to the Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa and former Defense Minister – confirmed dead.
• General Hisham Ikhtiyar – Director of the National Security Bureau – confirmed dead.
• General Maher al-Assad – President Bashar al-Assad's younger brother and the commander of the Republican Guard – wounded, reports of him losing a leg.^{[15] [16]}
• Colonel Hafez Makhlouf – President Bashar al-Assad's cousin and head of investigations at the General Security Directorate – wounded
• General Mohammad al-Shaar – Interior Minister – wounded
• General Mohammed Saeed Bekheitan – Assistant National Secretary of the Ba'ath Party and former chief of the National Security Bureau – wounded

Perpetrators

The bomber was reportedly a bodyguard of one of the meeting's attendants.^[17] The opposition, meanwhile, claimed that the cause of the explosion was not a suicide bomber, but a rebel insider who planted a bomb inside the building and detonated it remotely from a distant location.^[18] Another report said that the bomb was hidden in the briefcase of Syrian Interior Minister Mohammad al-Shaar, who was injured in the blast.^[19]

The Salafist Liwa al-Islam ("Brigade of Islam")^[20] and the Free Syrian Army both claimed responsibility for the bombing.^[21] Louay Almokdad, the Free Syrian Army's logistical coordinator, claimed that the attack was perpetrated by a group of Free Syrian Army members in coordination with drivers and bodyguards working for Assad's high-ranking officials.It was further stated that the two explosive devices, one made of 25 pounds of TNT, and the other a smaller C-4 plastic-explosive device, had been put in the room days before the meeting by a person working for Hisham Ikhtiyar.^[1]

According to a 2016 Daily Beast article, former Syrian general Mohamad Khalouf claimed Iran and Assad were actually responsible for the bombing. Khalouf said that the officials killed were more moderate members of the regime whom Iran wanted removed. Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat, also blamed Iran. The same Daily Beast article also quoted Syrian intelligence sources that said Assad believed the dead officials were planning a coup against him, and that all investigations into the bombing were blocked. Former US ambassador Robert Stephen Ford said of the bombing, "I don't think we know how it was done."^[19]

Reaction

Domestic

Although there were no statements from President Assad himself, Syrian TV said after the attack that a decree from him named Gen. Fahd Jassem al-Freij, who used to be the army chief of staff, as the new defense minister.^[22] Syrian state television said foreign-backed terrorists had carried out the attack. The country's armed forces said in a statement that Syria was "determined to confront all forms of terrorism and chop off any hand that harms national security".^[23]

On 19 July 2012, Syrian state television broadcast images of President Assad at the Presidential Palace in Damascus, cutting short speculation fueled by his silence following the attack against his inner circle the previous day. In the images broadcast by the television, Assad was seen in blue suit, receiving the new defense minister, Fahd Jassem al-Freij, after the swearing ceremony.^[24] According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the state TV announcement appeared aimed at sending the message that Assad is alive, well and still firmly in charge. It said Assad wished the new defense minister good luck but it did not say where the swearing-in took place. Nor did it show any photos or video of the ceremony, as it usually would.^[25]

International

• – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the bombing, adding that "the only way of resolving the current crisis in Syria is through talks."^[26] Iranian ambassador claimed that the bombing had been a work of foreign intelligence agencies and ruled out the possibility of FSA being able to carry out such operation.^[27]
• Israel – Defense Minister Ehud Barak urgently summoned intelligence and security officials to discuss possible implications of the rapidly deteriorating situation in Syria. They included Chief of the General Staff of the IDF Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and heads of the Northern Command, Military Intelligence Department, the Planning Directorate and the various IDF branches.^[28]
• Jordan – King Abdullah II stated that this assassination of members of Assad's inner circle is a "tremendous blow to the regime."^[29]
• Lebanon – Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour condemned the Damascus bombing.^[30]
• – Press secretary of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, said "As a whole the existing exchange of opinions shows that the appraisals of the situation in Syria and final goals of regulating (violence) for both sides coincide".^[31]
• South Africa – South Africa strongly condemned the attack and stated that it is opposed to all forms of terrorism and violence.^[32]
• Turkey – Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reacted negatively to Syria's explanation of the event.^[33]
• United Kingdom – Prime Minister David Cameron said that Assad should step down and added "It is time for the United Nations Security Council to Pass clear and tough messages about sanctions, I believe under Chapter 7 of the U.N., and be unambiguous about it."^[34] Foreign Secretary William Hague said that the "incident, which we condemn, confirms the urgent need for a chapter VII resolution of the UN Security Council on Syria."^[35]
• United States – Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that the country was "rapidly spinning out of control", adding that "the international community must bring maximum pressure on Assad to do what's right, to step down and to allow for that peaceful transition".^[31]
• – The Foreign Ministry condemned the bombing in Damascus and urged foreign powers against military intervention.^[36]
• – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the attack and reminded that "acts of violence committed by any party are unacceptable and a clear violation of the six-point plan".^[37]

See also

• List of bombings during the Syrian Civil War

Notes and References

1. News: Blomfield . Adrian . Syria: Assad 'facing the end' after Damascus bomb attacks . 18 July 2012 . The Telegraph . 18 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120719052556/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9410184/Syria-Assad-facing-the-end-after-Damascus-bomb-attacks.html . 19 July 2012 . dead.
2. News: Syria blast strikes at heart of Assad's rule . Al Jazeera . 18 July 2012 . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120718202720/http://www.aljazeera.com//news/middleeast/2012/07/20127189355415804.html . 18 July 2012 . live.
3. News: Syria's defense minister killed in Damascus suicide bombing: State TV . Al Arabiya . 18 July 2012 . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120719080452/http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/07/18/227035.html . 19 July 2012 . dead.
4. News: Syrian TV confirms Assef Shawkat was killed in bombing . Ynetnews . 18 July 2012 . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131216190439/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4257338,00.html . 16 December 2013 . live.
5. News: Profiles of Syria officials Asef Shawkat, Daoud Rajiha and Hassan Turkomani . BBC News . 18 July 2012 . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120718185402/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18889030 . 18 July 2012 . live.
6. News: Bomb kills Syria defense minister, Assad's brother-in-law and key aides . Al Arabiya . 18 July 2012 . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120719080452/http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/07/18/227035.html . 19 July 2012 . dead.
7. News: Jansen . Michael . Syrian bombing: Key regime figures killed in attack . 20 July 2012 . The Irish Times . 19 July 2012 . 3 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211203003541/https://m.irishtimes.com/holding.html?via=frontpage . live .
8. News: 4th member of Assad regime, Syria security chief Gen. Hisham Ikhtiyar, dies after Damascus bombing . 21 July 2012 . CBS News . 20 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120721084328/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57476393/4th-member-of-assad-regime-syria-security-chief-gen-hisham-ikhtiyar-dies-after-damascus-bombing/ . 21 July 2012 . live.
9. News: Syrian defense minister killed in Damascus blast, as fighting comes within sight of Assad's palace . Haaretz . 18 July 2012 . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120719052706/http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/syrian-defense-minister-killed-in-damascus-blast-as-fighting-comes-within-sight-of-assad-s-palace-1.451946 . 19 July 2012 . live.
10. News: Weiss . Michael . 18 July 2012 . The End of the Political Solution . FP . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120719014331/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/07/18/the_end_of_the_political_solution . 19 July 2012 . live.
11. News: Assad's top three aides killed in blast . 19 July 2012 . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130518001818/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-19/middle-east/32746336_1_assad-state-tv-suicide-blast . 18 May 2013 . . dead.
12. News: Damascus blast 'kills' top Assad officials . Al Jazeera . 19 July 2012 . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120718202720/http://www.aljazeera.com//news/middleeast/2012/07/20127189355415804.html . 18 July 2012 . live.
13. News: El Basha . Thomas . Suicide attack kills Assad's brother-in-law, two top generals . 19 July 2012 . The Daily Star . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120719060536/http://dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Jul-18/181002-suicide-bomber-targets-damascus-security-building-syria-tv.ashx#axzz2114QzivD . 19 July 2012 . live.
14. News: Syria blast: Security chief Ikhtiar dies from wounds . BBC News . 20 July 2012 . 20 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120720115207/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18920733 . 20 July 2012 . live.
15. News: Syria: Bashar al-Assad's brother Maher 'loses leg' . The Telegraph . 16 August 2012 . 16 August 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120816181059/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9480363/Syria-Bashar-al-Assads-brother-Maher-loses-leg.html . 16 August 2012 . live.
16. News: Assad's feared brother lost leg in bomb attack: sources . Reuters . 16 August 2012 . 16 August 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120816084800/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE8610SH20120816 . 16 August 2012 . live.
17. News: Damascus bomber was bodyguard for Assad's inner circle: Syrian security source . Reuters . 18 July 2012 . 18 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130214130735/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/18/us-syria-crisis-bomber-idUSBRE86H0G620120718 . 14 February 2013 . live.
18. News: Reals . Tucker . 18 July 2012 . Syria Defense Minister Gen. Dawoud Rajha killed in explosion in Damascus . CBS News . 18 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120719041009/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57474510/syria-defense-minister-gen-dawoud-rajha-reportedly-killed-in-explosion-in-damascus/ . 19 July 2012 . live.
19. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/02/how-assad-staged-al-qaeda-bombings.html How Assad Staged Al Qaeda Bombings
20. News: Syria blast strikes at heart of Assad's rule . 18 July 2012 . Al Jazeera . 18 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120718202720/http://www.aljazeera.com//news/middleeast/2012/07/20127189355415804.html . 18 July 2012 . live.
21. News: Cutler . David . Factbox: Fighting in Syria's capital Damascus . 18 July 2012 . Chicago Tribune . 18 July 2012 . https://archive.today/20130119024221/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-18/business/sns-rt-us-syria-crisis-damascus-killingsbre86h12q-20120718_1_damascus-syrian-free-army-qaeda . 19 January 2013 . dead.
22. News: Rebel bombing strikes at heart of Syrian regime . 19 July 2012 . Associated Press . 17 July 2012.
23. News: Syria rebels kill top chiefs of Assad regime in Damascus bomb strike . 19 July 2012 . The Guardian . 18 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141109152914/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/18/syria-rebels-kill-elite-damascus . 9 November 2014 . live.
24. News: Assad appears in Damascus as Russia, China veto UN resolution . 19 July 2012 . Albawaba . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120720051925/http://www.albawaba.com/news/assad-appears-damascus-russia-china-veto-un-resolution-434717 . 20 July 2012 . live.
25. News: Syria TV: Assad swears in new defense minister in first sighting since attack . 19 July 2012 . . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120720043925/http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/syria-tv-assad-swears-in-new-defense-minister-in-first-sighting-since-attack-1.452288 . 20 July 2012 . live.
26. News: Iran condemns Damascus bombing, says talks needed . Reuters . 18 July 2012 . 18 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120720231435/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/18/us-syria-bombing-iran-idUSBRE86H0WV20120718 . 20 July 2012 . live.
27. News: Iranian Ambassador Blames Foreign Forces for Syria Blast . 2012-07-20 . 2015-03-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402154636/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/tr/security/01/07/iranian-ambassador-to-as-safir-t.html . 2 April 2015 . live.
28. News: Assad's top four men killed by hidden bomb. Urgent consultations in Washingtoadnann, Jerusalem . 18 July 2012 . 19 July 2012.
29. News: Jordan's king calls Syria attack 'a tremendous blow' to al-Assad regime . 18 July 2012 . CNN . 18 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130514035158/http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/18/world/meast/syria-reaction-king-abdullah . 14 May 2013 . live.
30. News: Berri Condemns Damascus Bombing: This Terrorist Act is Aimed at Fragmenting Syrian Army . 21 July 2012 . Naharnet . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120723233145/http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/47110 . 23 July 2012 . live.
31. News: US warns Syria is 'spinning out of control' . 19 July 2012 . The Telegraph . 18 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120719050653/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9410143/US-warns-Syria-is-spinning-out-of-control.html . 19 July 2012 . live.
32. News: Oluwarotimi . Oluwaseun . South Africa Clarifies Position on Syria . All Africa . 20 July 2012 . 19 July 2012.
33. News: Şam'da çatışmalar devam ediyor . 19 July 2012 . BBC Turkish . tr . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120720213632/http://www.bbc.co.uk/turkce/haberler/2012/07/120719_syria_fresh_clashes.shtml . 20 July 2012 . live.
34. News: British PM says Assad must step down . Newsday . 21 July 2012.
35. News: Glaze . Ben . 18 July 2012 . William Hague condemns Syria bombing . The Independent . 18 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120718174219/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/william-hague-condemns-syria-bombing-7956577.html . 18 July 2012 . live.
36. News: Venezuela condemns Syria bombing, warns against intervention . 19 July 2012 . Reuters . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120721195658/http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/19/syria-bombing-venezuela-idINL2E8IJ0YB20120719 . 21 July 2012 . live.
37. News: Secretary-General, alarmed by the intensifying violence in Syria, strongly condemns today's bomb attack at the National Security Headquarters in Damascus . Department of Public Information (United Nations) – press release . 18 July 2012 . 19 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131019215450/http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2012/sgsm14418.doc.htm . 19 October 2013 . live.