Syrian Scientist Connected To Chemical Weapons Program Killed In Car Bombing

A Syrian scientist connected to the Assad regime’s chemical weapons program was killed in a car bombing in the city of Masyaf, with foreign media attributing the assassination to Israel’s Mossad spy agency. Dr. Aziz Asbar, a director at the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), reportedly was killed by an explosive device planted in the headrest of his car seat. While the al Qa’ida-affiliated Abu Amara Brigades rebel group claimed responsibility for the attack, many are pointing the finger at Jerusalem, highlighting similarities to the 2008 assassination in Damascus of top Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyah, widely believed to have been jointly carried out by Israel and the United States. The SSRC’s facility in Masyaf, allegedly involved in the production of non-conventional arms as well as medium- and long-range scud missiles, has been targeted multiple times over the past year by air strikes blamed on Israel. The Mossad previously has been accused of having a hand in the killing of Iranian nuclear scientists and senior Hamas members. Israel repeatedly has vowed to prevent the production of precision-guided rockets on Syrian soil, as well as the transfer of all forms of advanced weaponry to Hizbullah in Lebanon.