Mustafa Badreddine Explained

Birth Date:6 April 1961
Birth Place:Al Ghobeiry, Lebanon
Death Place:Damascus International Airport, Syria
Burial Place:Rawdat Shahidayn, Ghobeiry
Nationality:Lebanese
Years Active:1980s–2016
Party:Hezbollah
Spouse:Fatima Hareb
Parents:Amine Badreddine (father)
Fatima Jezeini (mother)

Mustafa Badreddine (Arabic: مُصْطَفَىٰ بَدْرِ الدِّينِ|Muṣṭafā Badr ad-Dīn‎; 6 April 1961 – 12 May 2016), also known as Mustafa Badr Al Din, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Mustafa Youssef Badreddine, Sami Issa, and Elias Fouad Saab,[1] was a military leader of Hezbollah and both the cousin and brother-in-law of Imad Mughniyah.[2] [3] He was nicknamed Dhu al-Fiqar referring to the legendary sword of Ali. His death is seen as one of the biggest blows in the Hezbollah leadership.[4]

Early life

Badreddine was born on 6 April 1961 in Al Ghobeiry, a municipality in the Baabda District.[5] [6] [7] His parents were Amine Badreddine and Fatima Jezeini, who originated from South Lebanon.[1]

Hezbollah

Until 1982, Badreddine, like Imad Mughniyah, was part of Fatah's Force 17, and later, they both joined Hezbollah. Badreddine was among Hezbollah's bomb makers.[8]

Badreddine was also a member of the Shura council for Hezbollah[9] and the head of the unit for overseas operations, Hezbollah's external operations branch.[5] [10] [11] His aide in this post was Abdul Hadi Hammade, who previously commanded Hezbollah's secret Position 71. Prior to his appointment to this post in 2009, replacing Imad Mughniyah,[12] [13] Badreddine served as the commander of Hezbollah's military arm[14] and an advisor to Hezbollah's Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.[15] Badreddine's appointment as the head of overseas operation was not supported by deputy general secretary of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem.[16] He was also Nasrallah's chief of intelligence.[17]

Ya Libnan reported that he had been behind the bombing of the US Marine Corps barracks in Lebanon in 1983, killing 241 marines.[18]

Following the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011 Badreddine went to Syria as one of the Hezbollah commanders to defend the government of Bashar Assad.[7] He joined the war in 2013.[19] He was fighting with opposition groups in Aleppo's countryside.

Badreddine was behind the successful Al-Otaiba ambush[20] that killed 175-200 anti-government fighters.

Alleged activities

1983 Kuwait bombings

See main article: 1983 Kuwait bombings. Badreddine entered Kuwait in 1983 on a fake Lebanese passport under the name of Elias Al Saab.[21] He was a member of the militant group Islamic Dawa Party.[22] [23]

He was arrested in Kuwait together with 17 suspects one month after seven blasts in the country on 13 December 1983, including the truck bombings of the US and French embassies in Kuwait City.[24] The attacks left five people dead and 86 injured.[25] However, it is also argued that the use of the group's name in these events was a deception to hide the real perpetrators.[26] In 1985, Badreddine allegedly ordered the assassination of Kuwait emir, but the attempt failed.[27]

As a result of the 16-week trials,[28] he was sentenced to death for masterminding the attacks.[21] [29] [30] Since his leg had been amputated, he was with a wooden leg in the jail.[24] In the court, Badreddine told the prosecutor that he did not recognize the sovereignty of Kuwait.[24]

In order to force the authorities to release Badreddine and others, Hezbollah members headed by Imad Mughniyah kidnapped at least four Western citizens in Lebanon.[31] [32] Mugniyeh also hijacked a Kuwait Airways Corporation plane in Bangkok in 1988, demanding the release of him and other detainees.[24] [33]

Badreddine escaped from the prison in 1990 during the invasion of Kuwait[9] [34] or the Iraqis released the imprisoned Badreddine and the others.[28]

Naharnet argues that after that event Badreddine managed to flee to Iran.[5] Later, the Iran's Revolutionary Guard returned him to Beirut.[5]

Hariri assassination

See main article: Assassination of Rafic Hariri. In June 2011, Badreddine and other three people were indicted for charges related to the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).[1] [35] [36] The indictment was unsealed on 29 July 2011.[37]

Badreddine was specifically accused of planning and supervising the assassination by the tribunal.[38] In addition, he was described by the STL as the main planner of the operation.[39] Accusations about him and other three Hezbollah members were based on mobile phone evidence.[40] Hasan Nasrallah threatened the tribunal upon its declaration.[17] Since then, Badreddine and the others disappeared and allegedly fled to Iran.[17] On 1 February 2012, the STL decided to try him in absentia.[1] The trial would begin in March 2013, but it was postponed, and no date was specified.[41] The trial began in January 2014.[42]

Designation

Badreddine and Talal Hamiyah were put on the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists by the US Treasury Department on 13 September 2012 due to his alleged role as top military commander, replacing Mugniyah who died in 2008.[2] [43] The basis for their designation was E.O. 13224 for providing support to Hezbollah's terrorist activities in the Middle East and around the world.[44]

Death

On 13 May 2016, it was reported that Badreddine had been killed by an explosion near the Damascus International Airport, the cause and timing of which remained unclear.[45] [46] [47] [48] At the funeral, Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah, said: "they would soon announce conclusions about the perpetrators".[49] His corpse was taken to Ghobeiry, Beirut, where it was buried in Rawdat Shahidayn cemetery on 13 May.[50] [45]

Allegations

Al Manar TV announced Badreddin's death stating that he was the target in a huge blast near the airport and that other Hezbollah fighters were wounded. The station added that the Hezbollah did not immediately point a finger at Israel and they would investigate whether the blast was from an airstrike, rocket attack or other cause.[49] Then Hezbollah stated that an attack was launched by "Takfiri groups" and said: "Investigations have showed that the explosion, which targeted one of our bases near Damascus International Airport, and which led to the martyrdom of commander Mustafa Badreddine, was the result of artillery bombardment" carried out by Takfiri groups."[51] [52]

This claim is disputed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who said that no artillery fire had been heard in the area in the past three days and announced that "There is no truth about what have been published by Hezbollah about the assassination of its military commander in Syria 'Mustafa Bader' by rebel shells near the international airport of Damascus". Later aerial images of the site where Badreddine was killed were released that showed that the site did not show any artillery damage.

The killing of Badreddine has not been claimed by any of the various jihadist and rebel groups in and around Damascus.[53] [54] It is felt extremely unlikely that the Syrian rebels would have had the information and weaponry as the Middle East Eye reported that "the nearest opposition artillery positions … were 20 kilometres away, and there are doubts that their shells could achieve pinpoint accuracy from that distance." to carry out what seems to be a surgical strike as he was killed in a room and "nobody else was hurt.[4] The conclusion: somebody followed him and knew exactly when he would arrive and when he would be in the room."[55] If it was artillery as claimed, it shows that the security breach could only have come from Hezbollah.[4]

The Saudi-owned Al Arabiya reported that Badreddine was killed by his former bodyguard, a man he trusted completely and one of Hezbollah's top operatives, Ibrahim Hussein Jazini[56] and bodyguard of Hassan Nasrallah, by order of Nasrallah and Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.[57] [58] On 21 March 2017 the head of the Israel Defense Forces, Gadi Eizenkot, stated that Badreddine was killed by his own men due to internal rivalries,[59] [60] and the order to kill Badreddine was given by Hassan Nasrallah.[61] [62] Meanwhile an editorial in Haaretz argued that it was Soleimani who had him assassinated due to a reluctance to maintain fighters in Syria.[63]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mustafa Amine Badreddine. Special Tribune for Lebanon. 15 September 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121020031128/http://www.stl-tsl.org/en/the-cases/stl-11-01/main/accused/mustafa-amine-badreddine. 20 October 2012.
  2. News: Bill Roggio. US adds 2 senior Hezbollah military leaders to terror list. 15 September 2012. Long War Journal. 14 September 2012.
  3. News: Erich Follath. New Evidence Points to Hezbollah in Hariri Murder. Der Spiegel. 23 May 2009. 15 September 2012.
  4. Web site: Sharif Nashashibi. Hezbollah is leaving itself exposed to Israel. Middle East Eye. 20 May 2016. 27 May 2016.
  5. News: Mustafa Badreddine, Salim Ayyash, Hassan Aneissy, Assad Sabra among Accused in Hariri Arrest Warrants. 7 October 2012. Naharnet. 30 June 2011.
  6. News: Obituary: Hezbollah military commander Mustafa Badreddine. 13 May 2016. BBC. 13 May 2013.
  7. News: Who Is Martyr Badreddine?. 13 May 2016. Al Manar. 13 May 2013.
  8. Book: Steven O'Hern. Iran's Revolutionary Guard: The Threat that Grows While America Sleeps. 2012. Potomac Books, Inc.. 978-1-59797-701-2. 213. Washington, DC.
  9. News: Mustafa Badr Al Din. All Voices. 15 September 2012. dead. 18 March 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130318214918/http://www.allvoices.com/people/Mustafa_Badr_al-Din.
  10. Web site: Hezbollah: Portrait of a Terrorist Organization. The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 12 January 2013. 18 December 2012.
  11. News: Samuel Segev. Samuel Segev. Lebanese factions form battle lines. Winnipeg Free Press. Tel Aviv. 24 October 2012. 5 July 2011.
  12. News: Charles Glass. For Lebanon, the truth is a poisoned chalice. 9 April 2013. The National. 2 July 2011. 28 September 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110928014615/http://www.charlesglass.net/archives/2011/07/for_lebanon_the.html.
  13. Web site: Levitt Matthew. Hizballah and the Qods Force in Iran's shadow war with the West. Policy Focus (No. 123). January 2013. 5 August 2013.
  14. Web site: Hezbollah: Background and Issues for Congress. Casey L. Addis. Christopher M. Blanchard. Congressional Research Service. 31 December 2012. 8 October 2010.
  15. News: Yossi Melman. Haaretz. Inside Intel / Why sell arms when you can play golf?. 24 October 2012. 18 June 2009.
  16. News: Zvi Barel. Who's breathing down Hezbollah leader's neck?. 22 March 2013. Haaretz. 25 February 2013.
  17. Erich Follath. Was Murdered Intelligence Chief a Hero or Double Agent. Der Spiegel. 5 November 2012. 5 November 2012.
  18. News: Mustafa Badreddine is main Hezbollah suspect in Hariri's murder. 7 October 2012. Ya Libnan. 30 June 2011.
  19. News: Who killed Mustafa Badreddine?. Iran News Update. 25 March 2017. 10 March 2017.
  20. Web site: Mostafa Badreddine: What You Planted in Syria is Being Harvested. 18 August 2022. alahedlb.com. ar. 8 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230408021756/https://alahedlb.com/english/article.php?id=65. dead.
  21. News: Lebanon Braces for Hezbollah Backlash Over Hariri Case. Arab Times. 7 October 2012. 1 July 2011. Kuwait City.
  22. News: Andrew C. McCarthy. Negotiate with Iran. National Review Online. 16 December 2012. 8 December 2006. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130203160724/http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/219452/negotiate-iran-andrew-c-mccarthy. 3 February 2013.
  23. Shannon W. Caudill. Hizballah Rising: Iran's Proxy Warriors. IFQ. 2008. 29.
  24. News: Top suspect in Hariri murder familiar name in Kuwait jail. 4 August 2013. Lebanonwire. 2 July 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121226225644/http://lebanonwire.com/1107MLN/11070304ALRAI.asp. 26 December 2012.
  25. News: Shiite leader demands release of 15. Times Daily. 13 August 1990. AP. Beirut. 16 December 2012.
  26. News: A. William Samii. Shia political alternatives in postwar Iraq. Middle East Policy. 22 June 2003. 25 March 2013.
  27. News: Elad Benari. Report: Hizbullah Activist Behind Hariri Assassination. 30 July 2010. 6 March 2013. Arutz Sheva 7.
  28. Web site: PBS. 16 December 2012. Terrorist attacks on America.
  29. News: Hezbollah figure eyed in Hariri killing. 7 October 2012. The Washington Times. 30 June 2011. AP. Bassem Mroue. Elizabeth A. Kennedy.
  30. News: Court publishes names of 4 suspects in Hariri case. 7 November 2012. USA Today. 29 July 2011. AP.
  31. News: Caryle Murphy. Bombs, Hostages: A Family Link. 16 December 2012. The Washington Post. 24 July 1990. 5 April 2020. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20200405150016/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r101:S25JY0-B485:.
  32. Ayla Hammond Schbley. Torn Between God, Family, and Money: The Changing Profile of Lebanon's Religious Terrorists. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 2000. 23. 3. 175–196. 10.1080/105761000412760. 144069434.
  33. Book: Mark Ensalaco. Middle Eastern Terrorism: From Black September to September 11. 978-0-8122-4046-7. 152. 2008. University of Pennsylvania Press. Philadelphia, PA.
  34. News: Escaped Militant Has Role in Hostage Talks. The New York Times. 16 October 1991. 7 November 2012. Beirut.
  35. News: Report: Friday blast in Beirut aimed at Nasrallah. 15 September 2012. Albawaba. 2 August 2011.
  36. News: Nada Bakri. Nada Bakri . Tribunal Names 4 in '05 Killing of Lebanese Leader. The New York Times. 7 October 2012. 30 June 2011. Beirut.
  37. News: UN names Hezbollah men in Rafik Hariri case. BBC. 29 July 2011. 4 March 2013.
  38. News: Roee Nahmias. YNet News. Hezbollah members indicted in Hariri murder. 7 November 2012. 30 June 2011.
  39. News: Rafik Hariri murder: Suspects to be tried in absentia. 17 March 2013. BBC News. 2 February 2012.
  40. News: Hezbollah leader Nasrallah rejects Hariri indictments. 16 December 2012. BBC. 3 July 2011.
  41. News: Hariri slaying trial postponed at UN-backed court. San Diego Union-Tribune. AP. 13 March 2013. 21 February 2013.
  42. Matthew Levitt. Hezbollah's Syrian Quagmire. Prism. 2014. 5. 1.
  43. Treasury Designates Hizballah Leadership. 13 September 2012. US Department of the Treasury. 15 September 2012.
  44. Web site: U.S. Treasury Sanctions Hizballah Leadership. US Embassy. 15 January 2013. 13 September 2013.
  45. News: Hezbollah commander Mustafa Badreddin killed in Syria. 13 May 2016. 13 May 2016. Al Jazeera.
  46. News: Top Hezbollah commander in Syria killed by Israel, Lebanese TV says. The Times of Israel. 13 May 2016.
  47. News: Leading Hezbollah commander killed by Israeli military. The Guardian. 13 May 2016.
  48. https://archive.today/20160514053856/http://time.com/4328994/hezbollah-syria-mustafa-badreddine/?xid=homepage Hezbollah Commander Mustafa Badreddine Killed in Syria
  49. News: The New York Times. 13 May 2016. Mustafa Badreddine, Hezbollah Military Commander, Is Killed in Syria. 14 May 2016. Anne Barnard. Sewell Chan.
  50. News: Hezbollah, Crowds Bid Farewell to Martyr Commander Badreddine. Al Manar. 13 May 2016. 13 May 2016.
  51. News: Hezbollah blames Sunni militants for commander's death. The Guardian. 14 May 2016. 14 May 2016. Kareem Shaheen.
  52. News: Hezbollah: Mustafa Badreddine killed in shelling. Al Jazeera. 14 May 2016. 14 May 2016.
  53. Bill Roggio. (14 May 2016) Syrian rebels deny Hezbollah’s military commander killed in ‘artillery shelling’ The Long War Journal. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  54. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/15/world/hezbollah-says-sunni-extremists-killed-military-chief-in-syria/ Hezbollah says Sunni extremists killed military chief in Syria
  55. http://yalibnan.com/2016/05/16/what-the-killing-of-badreddine-means-for-hezbollah-and-the-future-of-the-me/ What the killing of Badreddine means for Hezbollah and the future of the ME
  56. Web site: The Times of Israel. Fatal dissent: When a Hezbollah commander argued with Iran. 8 April 2017.
  57. News: Al Arabiya. 8 March 2017. Al Arabiya investigates: Who really killed Hezbollah's Mustafa Badreddine?.
  58. News: Here is the assassin of Hezbollah militias commander. Al Arabiya. 8 March 2017.
  59. Web site: Judah Ari Gross. Times of Israel. IDF chief: Hezbollah commander killed by his own men last year. 21 March 2017. 21 March 2017.
  60. Web site: Israeli Army Chief: Hezbollah Leader Killed by His Own Men. Voice of America. 21 March 2017.
  61. News: Josef Federman. Israeli Army Chef: Hezbollah leader killed by his own men. 22 March 2017. Associated Press. 21 March 2017. Jerusalem.
  62. News: 21 March 2017. Israel: Hezbollah commander Mustafa Badreddine 'killed by own men'. BBC News. 24 March 2017.
  63. News: Haaretz. Why Syria isn't firing its S-300 missiles at Israeli jets. Yossi Melman. 15 May 202.

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