Operation retribution: Israel's history of targeted assassinations in Beirut

For many years, Beirut has been and continues to be the stage for a series of assassinations targeting Palestinian leaders and figures executed by Israel.

On July 8, 1972, a large explosion shook the capital, bringing news of the martyrdom of one of the prominent writers and political activists dedicated to the Palestinian cause, Ghassan Kanafani.

Kanafani bid farewell to his wife and headed towards his car in the Hazmiyeh area when a planted explosive device detonated, leading to his assassination at the age of 36, along with his niece Lamees Najem.

Though Israel never officially admitted to the assassination operation, the Prime Minister at the time reportedly instructed the Mossad to eliminate Kanafani due to his vocal support for armed fighting and fedayeen operations.

In 1973, the target shifted to three prominent Palestinian leaders: Abu Youssef Al-Najjar, Kamal Nasser, and Kamal Adwan—founders of the Fatah movement and key figures in the Palestinian revolution.

On April 10, 1973, Israel executed a landing operation involving 19 rubber boats from eight warships along the Beirut shoreline. A special Israeli forces unit, led by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak disguised as a blonde woman, targeted the residences of the three leaders on Verdun Street, assassinating them with gunfire.

This assassination was in response to the Munich operation in 1972, where Palestinian fedayeen captured Israeli athletes during the Olympic Games to exchange them for Palestinian prisoners. In the ensuing confrontations with the German police, 11 prisoners were killed.

Israel continued its threats and, in January 1979, succeeded in eliminating "The Red Prince," the mastermind behind the Munich operation. He is one of the most prominent leaders in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a well-known and highly charismatic personality. He led special operations against Israeli intelligence around the world from Lebanon, and he was married to Miss Universe Georgina Rizk.

Ali Hassan Salameh, also known as Abu Hassan, orchestrated special operations against Israeli intelligence worldwide from Lebanon. Despite five failed assassination attempts, the sixth and final attempt in Beirut was executed.

Salameh was assassinated as his convoy left his home in the Pine Residence in Verdun, where a car bomb was detonated. The explosion resulted in the death of four of his associates and four bystanders and injured 16 individuals.

The list of targeted individuals extends from Jihad Ahmad Jibril to the Majzoub brothers, concluding with Salah al-Arouri. The cycle continues, marking a dark chapter in the history of targeted assassinations in Beirut.