Although exhausted to the point of illness by the war, Mughniyah worked with Iran and Syria to rearm Hezbollah, associates and Western anti-terrorism officials say. He was uniquely placed in that triumvirate because of close ties to Iran, particularly the Revolutionary Guard. But the fact that he answered to multiple masters may have been his undoing.
Despite official claims, Syrian leaders knew he was in Damascus in February, Western officials say. During visits to the Syrian capital, he stayed in a building owned by a business partner of Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of Assad, officials say. The meeting in Kfar Soussa took place at a safe house used by Syrian intelligence near a well-guarded Iranian school, an area where Syrian spies work and live, officials say.
Mughniyah met with Shawkat, the chief of military security, and Mohammed Nasif Kheirbek, a special assistant to the vice president, the officials said. The discussion, centered on political conflict in Lebanon, was a prelude to a clandestine late-night appointment with Assad at the presidential palace, the officials say, citing intelligence from a source in Syria.
"Mughniyah had had a busy day," a Western anti-terrorism official said. "And he was heading to meet Assad when he was killed."
Syrian officials declined to comment. But the aftermath offered a rare look at apparent tensions among Syria, Iran and Hezbollah. Syria's deputy foreign minister popped up in Tehran. Iran's foreign minister announced a joint investigation. One of Mughniyah's widows denounced the Syrians as "traitors," suggesting that they had a hand in the killing, then retracted the remark.
Finally, the Syrians said they would investigate. But they let an April deadline pass without comment on the inquiry. And Shawkat, a once-powerful ally of Iran, was excluded from the investigation, Western officials say.
Syria's behavior contrasted dramatically with the threats against Israel by Iran and Hezbollah. The government in Damascus has entered indirect peace talks with Israel and kept a tight lid on the investigation.
Some believe that Syrian leaders played a role in Mughniyah's demise, perhaps as part of a deal with the West. The scenario of an assassination by the Israelis does not rule out Syrian involvement, a Western security official said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if the death of Mughniyah was part of an internal struggle," said the official, who asked not to be identified because he does not speak publicly.
