Media spotlight on Damascus killing

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/7244540.stm

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Mughniyeh was wanted in connection with a series of attacks

As the senior Hezbollah leader Imad Mughniyeh is buried in Beirut, one Lebanese paper sees his killing as a warning to Syria; Syrian papers restrict themselves to factual accounts and news agency reports of his killing in Damascus on Tuesday.

Syrian TV reports that Hezbollah has accused Israel of being behind the assassination, and one Iranian editorial also puts the blame firmly on Israel, warning that it "will shake the foundations of power in Tel Aviv".

Israeli press commentators warn of reprisals by Hezbollah against Israel, saying that "Hezbollah has an indecent habit of trying to always have the final word".

SARKIS NA'UM IN LEBANON'S AL-NAHAR

For Syria, the assassination is both confusing and worrisome. First because it was done on its territory and in its capital, and second because it might be an indirect indication to Syria from its enemies of their capability to destabilise its security should it not be deterred or should it not change its stances and policies.

TALAL SALMAN IN LEBANON'S AL-SAFIR

All parties will not fight over space and do battle over slogans because national mourning will bring them together... The Lebanese will be in consensus in the shadow of those killed who have given us the honour of living with dignity.

SYRIAN TV HEADLINES

Syrian interior minister says ongoing investigation of booby-trapped vehicle blast in Damascus indicates target was Lebanese activist Imad Mughniyeh... Lebanese Hezbollah mourns Imad Mughniyeh killed in terrorist attack; Hezbollah says Imad Mughniyeh killed by Israel

IRAN'S SIYASAT-E-RUZ

The assassination of Mughniyeh in Syria is absolutely an Israeli act that is carried out with the co-ordination and co-operation of certain cheated groups and figures in Lebanon and their Western allies in order to strike at Hezbollah... These acts will shake the foundations of power in Tel Aviv. EITAN HABER IN ISRAEL'S YEDIOT AHARONOT

A temporary, sharp, worldwide shortage of tissues prevents us this morning from wiping away the tears over the premature departure of Imad Mughniyeh, the most successful operations' officer of the terrorist organisations in the last 10-20 years... But beyond the satisfaction, the order of the hour now is: be careful. Hezbollah has an indecent habit of trying to always have "the final word".

OFER SHELAH IN ISRAEL'S MA'ARIV

Is all this worth Hezbollah's revenge in the form of a terrorist attack abroad or something else? Should this revenge be a consideration?... We talk much about Arab mentality; the way we see everything as an ongoing attack, the way an operational opportunity leads us to think about targets, achievements and costs - all these indicate that the Israeli mentality is often not less dangerous.

AMOS HAREL AND AVI ISSACHAROFF IN ISRAEL'S HA'ARETZ

This is not the kind of operation for which states tend to take public credit... What matters more is what Hezbollah believes. The organisation accused Israel of the assassination, and threatened immediate revenge.

EGYPT'S AL-JUMHURIYAH

Most indicators and precedents point to Israel's involvement in order to restore its prestige lost in its failed war against the Lebanese national resistance where Mughniyeh was one of its leaders. Other indicators pinpoint a US role... The record of Israel and the US abound in so-called dirty operations and secret assassinations.

<I><A href="http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk">BBC Monitoring</A> selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.</I>