Israel Matzav

Mabhouh's senior aide liquidated, Hamas blames Mossad

Kamal Ranaja, the deputy to Hamas terrorist and arms buyer Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, was liquidated on Wednesday in Damascus. Hamas is blaming the Mossad (of course) despite the fact that the Syrians had more than adequate motivation to want to liquidate a senior Hamas figure.

The announcement, posted on the terrorist group's official website said it was unknown who killed Kamal Ranaja, also known as Nizzar Abu Mujhad. However, a senior Hamas official later told AFP, "According to our information, Mossad was behind the assassination."

The statement on Hamas's website added that Ranaja died "in the service of his cause and his people," vowing that his blood would "not be wasted."

The senior Hamas official said that Ranaja was killed in his home in a suburb of Damascus, and implicated "a group of people" for the murder. He identified Ranaja as a former deputy of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, the Hamas operative assassinated in Dubai in 2010.

YNet adds:

A delegation of senior Hamas politburo officials including Khaled Mashaal and Mousa Abu Marzook is set to arrive in Jordan to attend Ranaja's funeral.

The group was meant to visit Jordan over the weekend or early next week but its members decided to push up their visit in order to attend the funeral. They are slated to meet Jordanian officials and possibly also King Abdullah II.

There was no word about the manner in which Ranaja met his death. shortly after his death was announced, the new pan-Arabic television station Al-Mayadeen reported that he used to serve as aide to Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas member who took part in several terror attacks and was also involved in kidnapping and killing IDF soldiers.

...

The Syrian opposition claimed President Bashar Assad's regime was responsible for Ranaja's assassination.

One opposition activist, a former journalist, said Assad's regime ordered the hit. She claimed Ranaja was tortured before he was killed.

According to her, the hit was a message to Hamas, which turned its back on Assad following the violent crackdown on the opposition.

Faster, faster!

Labels: Damascus, Hamas, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, Mossad, Palestinian terrorism, Syrian uprising

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:24 AM