By Nohad Topalian | 2025-02-03

BEIRUT -- The recent assassination of a senior Hizbullah commander and convicted terrorist in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley has sparked speculation about external and internal forces behind the killing.

Unidentified gunmen in two civilian vehicles shot Muhammad Hamadi six times outside his residence in Mashghara on January 21.

He later died in hospital, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.

Hamadi, who served as Hizbullah's Western Bekaa regional commander, was convicted in Germany for his role in the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 and the murder of 23-year-old US Navy diver Robert Stethem, who was on the flight.

Stethem, who was singled out during the hijacking, was beaten and shot in the head. His body was dumped onto the Beirut airport tarmac, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

German authorities arrested Hamadi at Frankfurt Airport in 1987 after finding liquid explosives in his luggage, Spiegel International reported at the time. He served 19 years of a life sentence before being released in December 2005.

Iranian overlords

The assassination has spotlighted the Iranian regime's relationship with its proxy forces.

Hamadi's killing demonstrates how the regime fails to protect even senior commanders of Hizbullah, Lebanese Center for Research and Studies director Hassan Qutb told Al-Fassel.

"Iran considers Hizbullah the guardian of its project in the region, providing the party with financial and political support without getting involved in defending or protecting its leaders," Qutb said.

"Iran treats them merely as submissive followers."

"As the sponsor and exporter of terrorism to the world through its proxies, Iran is content with financing operations but refuses to protect those who serve its agenda," he said.

While Hizbullah chief Naim Qassem suggested Israeli involvement in a January 27 statement, others see internal dynamics at play.

Unusual silence

The "complex operation" and subsequent silence raise questions, said Southerners for Freedom coordinator and Hizbullah opponent Hussein Ataya.

"Information suggests his assassination was the result of disagreements between the party's wings," he told Al-Fassel.

Hizbullah held a subdued funeral for Hamadi on January 22, marked by an unusual lack of public statements or speeches from the party's leadership, Janoubia reported.

Only Hamadi's son Mujtaba delivered what was described as an "emotional speech."

The media outlet noted that even Al-Manar, Hizbullah's official TV channel, maintained unusual silence about the funeral proceedings of such a senior commander, breaking from typical protocol for high-ranking members' funerals.