List of Israeli assassinations
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Article ImagesThis article is about targeted killings allegedly performed by Israel. For violent incidents in in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, see Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
The following is a list of targeted killings reported to have been conducted by the State of Israel. It includes attempts on notable persons who were reported to have been specifically targeted by the various Israeli security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
Some of the listed killings were denied by Israel. Most fall within a series of campaigns, including Operation Wrath of God (launched in response to the 1972 Munich massacre), Israeli actions in the wake of the al-Aqsa Intifada (2000–), and strikes during the 2008–09 Gaza War. The policy of targeted killings is known in Hebrew as "focused foiling" (Hebrew: סיכול ממוקד sikul memukad).
1960s
Date | Place | Target | Description | Action | Killer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 11, 1962 | Munich, Germany | Heinz Krug | West German rocket scientist working for Egypt's missile program | Abducted from his company offices on Munich's Schillerstrasse, his body was never found. Swiss police later arrested two Mossad agents for threatening the daughter of another scientist and found that they were responsible for the killing. Part of Operation Damocles. | Mossad[1][2] |
November, 1962 | Heluan, Egypt | 5 Egyptian factory workers | Workers employed at Factory 333, an Egyptian rocket factory. | Letter bomb sent bearing Hamburg post mark. Another such bomb disfigured and blinded a secretary. Part of Operation Damocles. | Mossad[2] |
February 23, 1965 | Montevideo, Uruguay | Herberts Cukurs | Aviator alleged to have been involved in the murders of Latvian Jews during the Holocaust | Lured to Montevideo by agents under the false pretense of starting an aviation business, where he was then killed. | Mossad[3] |
1970s
Date | Place | Target | Description | Action | Killer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1972 | Beirut | Attempted killing of Bassam Abu Sharif | Member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine who took part in the Dawson's Field hijackings | Lost four fingers, and was left deaf in one ear and blind in one eye, after a book sent to him that was implanted with a bomb exploded in his hands.[4][5] | Mossad[5] |
October 16, 1972 | Rome | Abdel Wael Zwaiter | Libyan embassy employee and PLO representative | Shot by two gunmen in his apartment.[6] | Mossad |
July 8, 1972 | Beirut | Ghassan Kanafani | Palestinian writer and a leading member of the PFLP | Killed by car bomb. | Mossad |
December 8, 1972 | Paris | Mahmoud Hamshari | PLO representative in France | Killed by bomb concealed in his telephone.[6] | |
January 24, 1973 | Nicosia | Hussein Al Bashir | Fatah representative in Nicosia, Cyprus | Killed by bomb in his hotel room bed.[6] | |
April 6, 1973 | Paris | Basil Al-Kubaissi | PFLP member and American University of Beirut law professor | Killed by two gunmen.[6] | |
April 9, 1973 | Beirut | Muhammad Youssef Al-Najjar | Black September Operations officer and PLO official | Killed during Operation Spring of Youth. | Sayeret Matkal |
April 9, 1973 | Beirut | Kamal Adwan | Fatah veteran | Killed during Operation Spring of Youth. | Sayeret Matkal |
April 9, 1973 | Beirut | Kamal Nasser | PLO spokesman | Killed during Operation Spring of Youth. | Sayeret Matkal |
April 11, 1973 | Athens | Zaiad Muchasi | Fatah representative to Cyprus | Killed in hotel room.[6] | |
June 28, 1973 | Paris | Mohammad Boudia | Black September operations officer | Killed by pressure-activated mine under his car seat.[6] | |
July 21, 1973 | Lillehammer, Norway | Ali Hassan Salameh | high-ranked leader in the PLO and Black September | Ahmed Bouchiki, an innocent waiter believed to be Ali Hassan Salameh, killed by gunmen. Known as the Lillehammer affair. | Mossad |
March 28, 1978 | German Democratic Republic | Wadie Haddad | PFLP commander | Killed by a biologically-infected chocolate, sent to him, which caused his death a month later. | Mossad |
July 26, 1979 | Cannes | Zuheir Mohsen | Leader of the pro-Syria as-Sa'iqa faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization | Shot in the front of casino. | Mossad |
January 22, 1979 | Beirut | Ali Hassan Salameh | high-ranked leader in the PLO and Black September | Killed by car bomb,[6] along with four bodyguards and four innocent bystanders. | Mossad |
1980s
Date | Place | Target | Description | Action | Executor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 13, 1980 | Paris | Yehia El-Mashad | Egyptian nuclear scientist, lecturer at Alexandria University | Killed in his room at the Méridien Hotel in Operation Sphinx.[7][8] Marie-Claude Magal, prostitute, client of El-Meshad, pushed under a car and killed in the Boulevard Saint-Germain.[9] | Mossad |
August 21, 1983 | Athens | Mamoun Meraish | Senior PLO official | Shot in his car from motorcycle.[10] | Mossad |
April 16, 1988 | Tunis | Abu Jihad | Second-in-command to Yassir Arafat | Killed in Tunis Raid.[6] | Israeli commandos |
1990s
Date | Place | Target | Description | Action | Executor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 20, 1990 | Brussels | Gerald Bull | Canadian engineer and designer of the Project Babylon "supergun" for the Iraqi government | Shot at door to his apartment | Mossad[11] |
February 16, 1992 | Lebanon | Abbas al-Musawi | Secretary-General of Hezbollah | Killed in his car convoy by missiles launched from two Israeli helicopters.[6] | |
June 8, 1992 | Paris | Atef Bseiso | Palestinian official involved in Munich Massachre | Shot several times in the head at point-blank range by 2 gunmen, in his hotel (Aaron Klein's "Striking Back") | Mossad |
October 26, 1995 | Sliema, Malta | Fathi Shaqaqi | Head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad | Shot and killed in front of Diplomat Hotel.[6] | |
January 6, 1996 | Gaza Strip | Yahya Ayyash | "The Engineer", Hamas bombmaker | Killed by bomb in cell phone.[6] | Shabak |
September 25, 1997 | Amman | Khaled Mashaal (failed attempt) | Hamas political leader | Attempted poisoning. Israel provided antidote, after pressure by Clinton. Canada withdrew Ambassador. | Two Mossad agents with Canadian passports arrested |
2000s
Date | Place | Target | Description | Action | Executor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
November 22, 2000 | Gaza Strip | Jamal Abdel Raziq | Senior official of the Fatah faction Tanzim | Killed with driver, Awni Dhuheir, when their car was fired upon by IDF troops. Two bystanders in car in front of them also killed (Sami Abu Laban, 29, baker, and Na'el Al Leddawi, 22, student).[12][13] | IDF |
February 3, 2001 | Gaza Strip | Massoud Ayyad | Lieutenant-colonel in Force 17 | Killed while driving in Jabaliya refugee camp by three helicopter-launched rockets.[14] | |
July 31, 2001 | Jamal Mansour | High-ranking official of Hamas' West Bank political wing | Killed when office struck by helicopter-launched missiles.[15] | ||
August 20, 2001 | Hebron, West Bank | Imad Abu Sneneh | Leader of Tanzim | Shot and killed.[16] | Israeli undercover team |
August 27, 2001 | Ramallah, West Bank | Abu Ali Mustafa | Secretary General of the PFLP | Killed in his office by two missiles fired from an Apache helicopter. | IAF |
January 14, 2002 | Tulkarem, West Bank | Raed Karmi | Head of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades | Killed by blast.[17] | |
July 22, 2002 | Salah Shahade | Leader of Hamas Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades | Killed by 2,205-pound explosive dropped by F-16. The attack also killed his wife and 9 children. | ||
March 8, 2003 | Gaza City | Ibrahim al-Makadmeh | He and three of his aides killed by helicopter-fired missiles | ||
August 21, 2003 | Ismail Abu Shanab | High-ranking Hamas official[18] | |||
March 22, 2004 | Gaza Strip | Ahmed Yassin | Co-founder and leader of Hamas | He, 2 bodyguards, and 9 bystanders killed by Israeli Air Force AH-64 Apache-fired Hellfire missiles.[19] | IAF |
April 17, 2004 | Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi | Co-founder and leader of Hamas, and successor of Ahmed Yassin as leader of Hamas after his death | Killed by helicopter-fired missiles, along with his son. | ||
October 21, 2004 | Gaza | Adnan al-Ghoul | Hamas weapons expert | He and Imad Abbas killed when Apache helicopter fired missiles at their car. | |
May 25, 2006 | Sidon, Lebanon | Mahmoud al-Majzoub | Commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad | Injured in car bombing, and died the next day. Islamic Jihad blamed Israel, though Israel denied it.[20] | |
June 8, 2006 | Jamal Abu Samhadana | Killed by Israeli airstrike, along with at least three other PRC members.[21][22] | |||
January 16, 2008 | Qabatiya, West Bank | Walid Obeidi | Commander of Islamic Jihad's al-Quds Brigade | Gunned down by Israeli commandos.[23] | IDF |
February 12, 2008 | Damascus | Imad Mughniyah | Top Hezbollah commander | Killed by car bomb. Some news reports indicated the Mossad was responsible,[24] though Israel denied carrying it out.[25] | |
August 1, 2008 | Muhammad Suleiman | Syrian General, and top liaison between Syria and Hezbollah | Killed by sniper fire. Israel never takes credit for the killing, but is widely suspected.[26][27] | ||
December 16, 2008 | Jenin, West Bank | Jihad Nawahda | Top Islamic Jihad commander | Ambushed and killed by undercover Israeli troops as he enters internet cafe.[28] | |
January 1, 2009 | Nizar Rayan | Top Hamas military commander and decision maker | Killed in Israeli airstrike, along with his 4 wives and 11 of their children. He is the most senior Hamas member to be killed since 2004. | ||
January 3, 2009 | Abu Zakaria al-Jamal | Senior Hamas commander | Killed in Israeli airstrike.[29] | ||
January 15, 2009 | Jabalia | Said Seyam | Hamas Interior Minister | Killed in Israeli airstrike with his brother, his son, and Hamas general security services commander Salah Abu Shrakh.[30] | |
March 4, 2009 | Gaza Strip | Khaled Shalan | Senior member of Islamic Jihad | Killed in Israeli airstrike, in retaliation for[dubious – discuss] Palestinian rocket attacks on the Israeli city of Ashkelon.[31] | IAF |
May 27, 2009 | Dura, West Bank | Abd el-Majid Dudin | Major Hamas commander in West Bank | Killed by gunfire during Israeli raid.[32] | Yamam |
December 25, 2009 | Nablus, West Bank | Anan Subeh, Raed a-Sarkaji, Raghsan Abu Sharah | Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade | Killed in raid following the murder of Israeli civilian days earlier.[33] | Sayeret Duvdevan |
2010s
Date | Place | Target | Description | Action | Executor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 19, 2010 | Dubai | Mahmoud al-Mabhouh | Hamas military commander | Widely reported to have been killed by Israeli intelligence members. Israel stated that there is no proof of its involvement, and refused to confirm or deny the allegations.[34] Dubai police report that Israeli agents used Australian, French, British, Irish, and Dutch passports. | |
July 31, 2010 | Gaza Strip | Issa al-Batran | Hamas military commander in central Gaza | Killed in retaliation for[dubious – discuss] earlier rocket attack on city of Ashkelon[35] | IAF |
References
- ^ Sirrs, Owen L. (2006). Nasser and the missile age in the Middle East. Routledge. p. 61. ;
- ^ a b Lavy, George (1996). Germany and Israel: moral debt and national interest. Routledge. p. 63.
- ^ Josifs S̆teimanis (2002). History of Latvian Jews (Illustrated, revised ed.). East European Monographs. ISBN 0880334932, 9780880334938.
- ^ "BBC Article". BBC News. June 29, 2002. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
- ^ a b Palestinians' Way Forward Al Jazeera English, June 19, 2009
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Israeli “Hits” On Terrorists, Jewish Virtual Library, last updated December 18, 2007. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
- ^ http://www.science.co.il/ilan-ramon/Osiraq.pdf Ford, Peter S., Major, USAF, "Israel's Attack on Osiraq: A Model for Future Preventive Strikes?", INSS Occasional Paper 59, USAF Institute for National Security Studies, USAF Academy, Colorado, July 2005, p. 15
- ^ Ostrovsky, Victor, "By Way of Deception: The Making and Unmaking of a Mossad Officer", St. Martin's Press, New York, 1990, p. 23
- ^ Ibid., p. 24
- ^ http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3550277,00.html "Agent Livni Makes British Headlines", YNet News, June 1, 2008. Retrieved 23/Oct/2008.
- ^ "State assassins who put 007 in the shade". Irish Independent. February 20, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
- ^ Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the US State Department, February 23, 2001. Retrieved October 14, 2006.
- ^ Israel's death squads: A soldier's story, Donald Macintyre, The Independent, March 1, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
- ^ Philips, Alan. "Arafat aide killed in helicopter ambush", Telegraph, February 14, 2001. Retrieved October 14, 2006.
- ^ Profile: Hamas activist Jamal Mansour, BBC News, July 31, 2001. Retrieved October 14, 2006.
- ^ "Palestinian activist shot, killed", CNN, August 20, 2001. Retrieved October 14, 2006.
- ^ "Killing sparks fresh Mid-East violence". BBC News. January 14, 2002. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
- ^ "Hamas terrorist Ismail Abu Shanab - 21-Aug-2003". Mfa.gov.il. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
- ^ "Al Jazeera English – The Life And Death Of Shaikh Yasin". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on August 16, 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- ^ PIWP database: Assassination of Majzoub brothers in Sidon
- ^ [1], Haaretz, June 8, 2006.
- ^ [2], Yediot Acharonot, June 8
- ^ "IDF kills top Islamic Jihad leader in West Bank". Ynet News. June 20, 1995. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- ^ Mahnaimi, Uzi (February 17, 2008). "Israel kills terror chief with headrest bomb". London: The Sunday Times. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
- ^ Powell, Robyn (February 26, 2008). "Israel denies assassinating Hizbollah chief". The Telegraph. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
- ^ http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1008004.html
- ^ Harel, Amos (September 28, 2010). "ANALYSIS / In bombing Sudan, Israel sends message to Iran". Haaretz. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- ^ Issacharoff, Avi (December 16, 2008). "IDF troops kill top Islamic Jihad militant near Jenin". Haaretz. Retrieved December 28, 2008.
- ^ Katz, Yaakov (January 3, 2009). "Tens of thousands of IDF combat reservists called up". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
- ^ http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1231950866724&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
- ^ al-Mughrabi, Nidal (March 4, 2009). "Israel kills Gaza rocket commander in airstrike". Reuters. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
- ^ "Hamas vows to avenge terrorist's killing". The Jerusalem Post. May 28, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
- ^ Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff (December 6, 2001). "At militants' funeral, Palestinians vow revenge on Israel". Haaretz. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- ^ "Israeli politician Livni hails Dubai Hamas killing", BBC News, February 23, 2010.
- ^ Ravid, Barak. "Hamas vows revenge after Israel kills commander in Gaza strike". Haaretz. Retrieved October 20, 2010.