Leaked Snowden doc shows Israel killed Syrian general

A team of Israeli snipers was responsible for the 2008 killing of a Syrian general, according to new information from leaked documents that shed light on the formerly secret raid.

The document leaked by Edward Snowden to The Intercept shows that Brig. Gen. Muhammad Suleiman was killed as part of a covert Israeli commando mission, ending years of speculation about his death. 

{mosads}Israeli naval commandoes killed Suleiman while he was vacationing at his seaside villa near Tartus, Syria.

Suleiman was a top aide to Syrian President Bashar Assad and is believed to have facilitated Syria’s role as a conduit for Iranian arms heading to Hezbollah. According to the National Security Agency document, he was involved in “internal Syrian” political matters, “sensitive military issues” and “Lebanon-related issues,” including contacts with Hezbollah.

“Different elements may have wanted to see Suleiman dead, and the implications of his assassination varied according to the respecting theories,” the NSA claimed.

According to a 2008 diplomatic cable leaked by Wikileaks, the death “devastated” Assad.

An investigation found $80 million in cash in Suleiman’s home basement, prompting speculation that Suleiman had betrayed Assad. In turn, Assad “redirected the investigation from solving his murder to finding out how the general had acquired so much money,” the State Department claimed in the 2008 cable.

The NSA called the assassination “the first known instance of Israel targeting a legitimate government official.”

According to The Intercept, information about the raid was obtained through U.S. surveillance of the Israeli military — a particularly sensitive task in which Washington spies on one of its closest allies.