07.08.2018
The wreckage of a building described by the Syrian Information Ministry in an April press tour as part of the Scientific Studies and Research Center compound. IMAGE: Louai Beshara/Agence France-Presse
Overnight on 5, Aziz Asbar, the head of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center was killed by a car bomb in the town of Masyaf in the western countryside of Hama.
The radical rebel faction Saraya Abu Amara claimed responsibility for the attack. However, many local experts pointed out that the assasination was planted and carried out by Mossad, the Israeli spy agency.
Sources of The New Yourk Times also confirmed the version of the Israeli involvement:
Aziz Asbar was one of Syria’s most important rocket scientists, bent on amassing an arsenal of precision-guided missiles that could be launched with pinpoint accuracy against Israeli cities hundreds of miles away.He had free access to the highest levels of the Syrian and Iranian governments, and his own security detail. He led a top-secret weapons-development unit called Sector 4 and was hard at work building an underground weapons factory to replace one destroyed by Israel last year.…It was at least the fourth assassination mission by Israel in three years against an enemy weapons engineer on foreign soil, a senior official from a Middle Eastern intelligence agency confirmed on Monday. The following account is based on information provided by the official, whose agency was informed about the operation. He spoke only on the condition of anonymity to discuss a highly classified operation.…In this case, the accusations were well founded: The Mossad had been tracking Mr. Asbar for a long time, according to the Middle Eastern intelligence official.The Israelis believed that Mr. Asbar led the secret unit known as Sector 4 at the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center. He was said to have free access to the presidential palace in Damascus and had been collaborating with Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force, and other Iranians to begin production of precision-guided missiles in Syria by retrofitting heavy Syrian SM600 Tishreen rockets.
According to the NYT, Asbar was involved in development of “a solid-fuel plant for missiles and rockets, a safer alternative to liquid fuel.”
“An official from Syria and Iran’s alliance, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to Western journalists, said he believed Israel had wanted to kill Mr. Asbar because of the prominent role he played in Syria’s missile program even before the current conflict broke out in 2011,” the NYT added.
Israeli Intel Minister welcomes assassination of Syrian scientist
2018-08-07
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem September 4, 2016. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:40 P.M.) – The Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz stated on Tuesday that he welcomes the assassination of the Syrian scientist last week.
However, the Intelligence Minister declined to comment on whether or not Israel played a role in the assassination.
“We don’t of course comment on reports of this kind and I’m not going to comment now,” Katz told Israeli army radio.
“I can say that assuming the details of this man’s activities are correct and he was engaged in developing chemical weapons and longer-range missiles capable of hitting Israel, I certainly welcome his demise.”
The Syrian scientist Katz is referencing is General ‘Aziz Isbar, who was the head of the Scientific Research and Development Institute in the western Hama city of Masyaf.
A Syrian military source told Al-Masdar that they believe Israel was behind the assassination, despite some claims by rebel groups.
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