Lieberman on assassination of Hamas engineer: he probably wasn't up for a Nobel Peace Prize
Without admitting to Israeli involvement in the assassination of Hamas engineer Mohammad al-Zawahri, the defense minister stressed that 'if' an assassination indeed took place, it was carried out on a man who was far from a promoter of peace; as hundreds in Tunisia protest the killing, Tunisian Interior Minister Hédi Majdoub details the elaborate plan that supposedly led to al-Zawahri's death.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beytenu) sardonically pointed out on Wednesday that Hamas aerial engineer Mohammad al-Zawahri, whose assassination in Tunisia was attributed the Israeli Mossad, "probably wasn't a great man of peace or up for a Nobel Peace Prize."
While he did not claim responsibility, the Israeli defense minister stressed that "We will protect our interests in the best way we know how."
After al-Zawahri was shot and killed last Thursday, Tunisian media reported that Israel was behind that assassination, with Tunisian journalist Burhan Basis writing on his Facebook page on Friday that it was the Mossad's doing—a statement that has since been quoted by local news outlets.
Hamas later issued its own statement, saying that al-Zawahri had been part of the organization's military branch's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigade and the heads of its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program.
Tunisia also issued a statement, saying that there is evidence that "a foreign organization" is behind the assassination. Tunisian Interior Minister Hédi Majdoub said that "We looked at security cameras near his home to investigate, and found that there were two plans and two units (involved)."
Majdoub elaborated on the Tunisian investigation's findings during a recent press conference. "Al-Zawahri was shot in the head and chest. Five 9mm bullet casings were found near his vehicle. In addition, two vehicles were found—a Renault Trafic and a Kia Picanto," he said.
The minister went on to say that the vehicles were found to had been rented out to a foreign woman who worked for a foregin news company and lived in the city of Safx, where the assassination took place. Prior to the assassination, the woman had allegedly asked that both cars be brought to Safx.
The young woman, he said, was apparently asked by an Arab man who introduced himself as a representative of Malaysian television channel TV1 to interview al-Zawahri for a documentary on the aviation industry in the Arab world. She conducted the interview and sent him the footage.
The same man allegedly called the woman three days prior to the assassination and asked her to supply him with two vehicles whose specifications included an operating system that could open a door on boths sides of the vehicle. He further asked her to leave the vehicles at a designated spot, leave the keys inside and then leave Tunisia the following day.
Majdoub went on to describe the second alleged assassination plan. It included two SIM cards found in one of the vehicles, which belong to two Tunisians who reportedly live in Sweden. These two were similarly contacted by two strangers who offered them work.
The two Tunisians were asked to rent a house in Safx and purchase two vehicles and four cellular phones, before leaving the vehicles with their keys inside at an agreed upon location. When one of the Tunisians refused, the man he had been in contact with asked him to sell both vehicles, vacate the apartment and return the money he was given.
"There were two plans, which relied on different people and on never having their paths intersect," said Majdoub. "The second team was to be tapped for action if the first team were to have botched the assassination." He added that "The plan began outside Tunisia. All the information points to having a foreign operation involved in the assassination, but so far there is no clearcut evidence."
With the investigation continuing, hundreds took part in a demonstration in the capital city of Tunis, in protest of the engineer's murder. Several of the demonstrators stepped on the Israeli flag in response to accusations of Israeli involvement.
