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| Lebanese militant leader Samir Qantar killed in Damascus attack | Lebanese militant leader Samir Qantar killed in Damascus attack |
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| Samir Qantar, a Lebanese militant leader who spent nearly three decades in an Israeli prison after being convicted of carrying out one of the most notorious attacks in Israeli history, has been killed in a rocket attack on a building in the Syrian capital, Damascus. | Samir Qantar, a Lebanese militant leader who spent nearly three decades in an Israeli prison after being convicted of carrying out one of the most notorious attacks in Israeli history, has been killed in a rocket attack on a building in the Syrian capital, Damascus. |
| Qantar, a high-profile figure in Hezbollah, was killed alongside eight others after multiple rocket attacks on a building in the suburb of Jaramana. The militant Shia group confirmed his death in a statement sent to the Guardian. It called him “our martyr” and blamed Israel for the killing. | Qantar, a high-profile figure in Hezbollah, was killed alongside eight others after multiple rocket attacks on a building in the suburb of Jaramana. The militant Shia group confirmed his death in a statement sent to the Guardian. It called him “our martyr” and blamed Israel for the killing. |
| Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV reported that two Israeli warplanes violated Syrian airspace and fired four long-range missiles at the residential building. It aired footage of what it said was the building, which appeared to be completely destroyed. | Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV reported that two Israeli warplanes violated Syrian airspace and fired four long-range missiles at the residential building. It aired footage of what it said was the building, which appeared to be completely destroyed. |
| Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack. While Israeli military officials have refused to comment, other Israeli officials praised Qantar’s death in Syria. “I am very happy,” said the justice minister, Ayelet Shaked. “He was an arch-terrorist who bashed a four-year-old girl in the skull with a rock and expressed no regret.” | Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack. While Israeli military officials have refused to comment, other Israeli officials praised Qantar’s death in Syria. “I am very happy,” said the justice minister, Ayelet Shaked. “He was an arch-terrorist who bashed a four-year-old girl in the skull with a rock and expressed no regret.” |
| Hours after Qantar’s death was reported, three rockets, apparently fired from Lebanon, struck open areas in northern Israel, Israel’s military said. There were no reports of injuries. | |
| Qantar was sentenced to three life terms in Israel in 1979 after he and three other Lebanese men staged an attack in the northern coastal town of Nahariya that year, killing a policeman and then kidnapping a man and his four-year-old daughter and killing them outside their home. | Qantar was sentenced to three life terms in Israel in 1979 after he and three other Lebanese men staged an attack in the northern coastal town of Nahariya that year, killing a policeman and then kidnapping a man and his four-year-old daughter and killing them outside their home. |
| Israel says Qantar, who was 16 at the time, beat the girl to death by bashing her head with a rifle butt. He denied this, saying the girl was killed in the crossfire. As the attack unfolded, the girl’s mother, Smadar Haran, hid inside a crawl space inside their home and accidentally suffocated their crying two-year-old daughter, fearing Qantar would find them. | Israel says Qantar, who was 16 at the time, beat the girl to death by bashing her head with a rifle butt. He denied this, saying the girl was killed in the crossfire. As the attack unfolded, the girl’s mother, Smadar Haran, hid inside a crawl space inside their home and accidentally suffocated their crying two-year-old daughter, fearing Qantar would find them. |
| Haran, the only survivor of the attack, said of Qantar’s death: “I felt a kind of relief. It’s not that I was looking for revenge or retaliation, but when I heard about a year ago that Samir Qantar had become very active in the Hezbollah forces just north of Israel, I worried about the fact that he might go and kill other families and kill children.” | Haran, the only survivor of the attack, said of Qantar’s death: “I felt a kind of relief. It’s not that I was looking for revenge or retaliation, but when I heard about a year ago that Samir Qantar had become very active in the Hezbollah forces just north of Israel, I worried about the fact that he might go and kill other families and kill children.” |
| Qantar was released as part of a deal for the release of the bodies of IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regeve in July 2008, and received a hero’s welcome upon his return to Lebanon. Soon afterwards, Qantar joined Hezbollah, and he quietly rose through the group’s ranks, particularly following its involvement in the civil war in Syria in support of Bashar al-Assad’s forces. | Qantar was released as part of a deal for the release of the bodies of IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regeve in July 2008, and received a hero’s welcome upon his return to Lebanon. Soon afterwards, Qantar joined Hezbollah, and he quietly rose through the group’s ranks, particularly following its involvement in the civil war in Syria in support of Bashar al-Assad’s forces. |
| Yaakov Amidror, a former director of the Israeli counter-terrorism bureau, said Qantar had been operating in the northern Golan Heights and was planning attacks on Israel before his death. Amidror said: “As most of the villages on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights were Druze, it was easy for Hezbollah to bring in an actor who is a Druze and who has good relations there,. He was very active, not alone, with other members of Hezbollah.” | Yaakov Amidror, a former director of the Israeli counter-terrorism bureau, said Qantar had been operating in the northern Golan Heights and was planning attacks on Israel before his death. Amidror said: “As most of the villages on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights were Druze, it was easy for Hezbollah to bring in an actor who is a Druze and who has good relations there,. He was very active, not alone, with other members of Hezbollah.” |
| Yuval Steinitz, an Israeli cabinet minister, said he was not sorry about Qantar’s death but could not comment on allegations that Israel was behind the killing. He said: “If something happened to him, I think that no civilised person can be sorry. But again I learned it from the reports in the international media and I can make no concrete reference to it.” | Yuval Steinitz, an Israeli cabinet minister, said he was not sorry about Qantar’s death but could not comment on allegations that Israel was behind the killing. He said: “If something happened to him, I think that no civilised person can be sorry. But again I learned it from the reports in the international media and I can make no concrete reference to it.” |
| The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu did not comment about the strike in his weekly cabinet meeting. | The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu did not comment about the strike in his weekly cabinet meeting. |
| Qantar’s brother Bassam Qantar issued a statement on Facebook saying his sibling was a martyr. “With pride we mourn the martyrdom of the leader Samir Qantar and we are honoured to join families of martyrs,” he wrote. | Qantar’s brother Bassam Qantar issued a statement on Facebook saying his sibling was a martyr. “With pride we mourn the martyrdom of the leader Samir Qantar and we are honoured to join families of martyrs,” he wrote. |
| Syria’s state media blamed “terrorist groups” for the attack. But government loyalists said the explosions were an Israeli airstrike. | Syria’s state media blamed “terrorist groups” for the attack. But government loyalists said the explosions were an Israeli airstrike. |
| Hezbollah has organised a funeral service for Qantar, due to be held in Beirut on Monday morning. | Hezbollah has organised a funeral service for Qantar, due to be held in Beirut on Monday morning. |
| Hezbollah’s al-Mayadeen TV station said Farhan al-Shaalan, a senior commander with the anti-Israeli “resistance” movement in the Golan Heights, was also killed in the incident, together with an aide to Qantar. | Hezbollah’s al-Mayadeen TV station said Farhan al-Shaalan, a senior commander with the anti-Israeli “resistance” movement in the Golan Heights, was also killed in the incident, together with an aide to Qantar. |
| Related: Qantar gets hero's welcome on return to Lebanon | Related: Qantar gets hero's welcome on return to Lebanon |
| Israel possesses long-range air-to-surface missiles that conceivably could have been fired from Israeli-controlled airspace. The Golan Heights is about 25 miles from Damascus. | Israel possesses long-range air-to-surface missiles that conceivably could have been fired from Israeli-controlled airspace. The Golan Heights is about 25 miles from Damascus. |
| Israeli warplanes have struck targets inside Syria several times during the country’s nearly five-year conflict, although it has rarely confirmed its involvement. Qantar’s killing would mark the first Israeli assassination of a senior figure inside Syria since Russia launched its military operations on 30 September in support of Assad. | Israeli warplanes have struck targets inside Syria several times during the country’s nearly five-year conflict, although it has rarely confirmed its involvement. Qantar’s killing would mark the first Israeli assassination of a senior figure inside Syria since Russia launched its military operations on 30 September in support of Assad. |
| Israel’s defence minister has said Russia and Israel have worked out an open communication system “to prevent misunderstandings”. That raises the question of whether the Russians would have been informed by Israel about any operation to kill Qantar. The Russian defence ministry declined to comment on the airstrike. | Israel’s defence minister has said Russia and Israel have worked out an open communication system “to prevent misunderstandings”. That raises the question of whether the Russians would have been informed by Israel about any operation to kill Qantar. The Russian defence ministry declined to comment on the airstrike. |