A Lebanese minister and two senior officials said preliminary findings suggest Israel's Mossad spy agency was behind the killing of a US-sanctioned Lebanese man accused of sending Iranian money to Hamas.
The body of Mohammad Srour, 57, was found riddled with bullets in a villa in the Lebanese mountain town of Beit Meri last Tuesday.
Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi told Al-Jadeed TV late Sunday that, “according to the data we have so far, (the killing) was carried out by intelligence services”.
Asked whether he was referring to Mossad, Mr Mawlawi confirmed.
The US Treasury said in August 2019 that it had sanctioned Mr Srour for funnelling “tens of millions of dollars” from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “to Hamas for terrorist attacks originating from the Gaza Strip”, through Lebanon's Hamas-allied Hezbollah.
The Lebanese group has been exchanging near daily cross-border fire with the Israeli military since October 7 when Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel, causing the war in Gaza.
A Lebanese judicial official and a security source told AFP that Mossad likely masterminded Mr Srour's killing, both speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the press.
“The preliminary results of the investigation indicate that the Israeli Mossad was behind the assassination,” the security official told AFP.
Initial findings “suggest the Mossad used Lebanese and Syrian agents to lure Srour to a villa in Beit Meri”, the official said, adding that they had wiped fingerprints from the crime scene and used silenced weapons.
The judicial official also told AFP that preliminary information pointed to Mossad, but that the probe was continuing, with investigators collecting evidence “especially from communications data”.
The US Treasury said Mr Srour “served as a middleman” for money transfers between the (Revolutionary) Guards and Hamas “and worked with Hezbollah operatives to ensure funds were provided” to Hamas's armed wing.
Mr Srour “has an extensive history working at Hezbollah's sanctioned bank, Bayt al-Mal”, the Treasury said.
AFP said it has requested comment from Israeli government officials but has received no response so far.
Agencies contributed to this report
