[ecce homo]

Hezbollah terror chief was higher than Nasrallah

By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent

If there is a definition for the term "snake head-" it is appropriate for Imad Mughniyah, who started his terrorist activities as a militant with Fatah, and joined Hezbollah afterwards with the establishment of the Shi'ite organization. He first started as head of security for Hezbollah, afterwards leading their operational command, until he reached his current status of a type of "super Chief of Staff."

In past years he saw himself as the probable successor to Nasrallah in leading Hezbollah, leaving the shadowy world where he lived most of his life. According to different reports, because of the international chase after him, Mughniyah frequently changed identities and even went through numerous plastic surgeries.

Imad Mughniyah was the number one wanted terrorist on Israel's list, ahead of Hassan Nasrallah. In the past, in the 1990's, according to foreign reports, the Mossad tried to assassinate him in a complex operation in southern Beirut. However, the operation killed his brother, a car shop owner in Beirut. Mughniyah was expected to be present at the funeral, giving an additional chance to assassinate him, but he never showed.

Imad Mughniyah was high on the F.B.I's wanted list as well, for his involvement behind the kidnapping of a TWA airliner to Beirut in 1985, where one of the passengers was killed. He was also involved with planning and carrying out a number of kidnappings of Westerners in Lebanon in those same years. He started the international terror attacks of the organization.