Mugh the Thug's Buried, But Questions Remain

Imad Mughniyah may have been buried yesterday, but the questions over who was responsible for the attack that ended this brutal terrorist's thuggish ways continue. While Hizbullah claims that Israel is behind the attack, they've been busy tracking down and rounding up a bunch of Palestinians living in Syria. They certainly have to get their story straight. Syria says that they'll be able to prove that Israel was behind the attacks.

The Kuwaitis say that Mugh the Thug was preparing for a mass casualty attack in an Arab country in the Middle East.

A Kuwaiti newspaper reports that Hizbullah terrorist chief Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in a car-bomb attack in Damascus on Tuesday, was in the midst of planning major terrorist attacks in moderate Arab countries when he was killed.

Al-Watan reports that American intelligence had learned that Mughniyeh arrived in Damascus three days earlier with instructions from, and in coordination with, the Iranians. His objective was to meet with Hizbullah leaders and coordinate a mass attack, for which he was to receive help from Syrian intelligence.

Another paper suggests that Mugh the Thug was busy meeting with Iranian terror masters in Damascus, along with Syrian thugs, Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal, and an Islamic Jihad representative.

Either scenario is plausible and a terrorist of Mughniyeh's stature certainly could be seen as meeting with top level terrorists and their terror masters from Iran and/or Syria. It still doesn't help figure out who carried out the attack or how the attackers managed to breach Mugh's considerable security.

Hizbullah has said that Mugh the Thug's death means open war with Israel (as though the continual and ongoing calls for Israel's destruction are insufficient, not to mention Hizbullah initiating the August war) and the Israelis have responded by increasing security and warning its foreign outposts to do the same.

The Hizbullah threats have also spurred synagogues in the US to beef up security as well.

UPDATE:
Video of the immediate aftermath of the attack has surfaced:


UPDATE:
Another Arab paper is now claiming that Mugh the Thug died in a work accident.

The Kuwaiti daily Awan reported, from a knowledgeable Arab source, that Imad Mughinyua was killed as he was preparing a car bomb.

The source said that Mughniya had prepared several car bombs for sending to Lebanon in order to prevent the March 14 Forces from holding a rally to mark the third anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri.

He was supposedly on his way to carry out mass casualty bombings against the crowds gathered to pay their respects to Rafik Hariri on the third anniversary of his assassination. I seriously doubt this angle. Mugh the Thug didn't get to be his age by taking chances and the only way this was a work accident was if it was a "work accident," which is to say someone set him up. (HT: Charles at LGF)

Also, after the attack, Hizbullah and everyone was quick to claim that Israel was behind the incident, so why change the story now? It really is in everyone's interests if Israel is blamed. Israel gets to reclaim a bit of its mojo and its Mossad gets a gold star for carrying out one of the biggest operations of its kind in a good long time, Hizbullah and the Islamists get their bogeyman back, as do Iran and Syria.