Mustafa Badreddine | |
---|---|
Born |
Al Ghobeiry, Lebanon |
6 April 1961
Died | 13 May 2016 Damascus International Airport, Syria |
(aged 55)
Nationality | Lebanese |
Years active | 1980s–2016 |
Political party | Hezbollah |
Parent(s) | Amine Badreddine Fatima Jezeini |
Mustafa Badreddine (Arabic: مصطفى بدر الدين; 6 April 1961 – c. 13 May 2016), also known as Mustafa Badr Al Din, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Mustafa Youssef Badreddine, Sami Issa, and Elias Fouad Saab, was a military leader of Hezbollah and both the cousin and brother-in-law of Imad Mughniyah. He was nicknamed "Dhu al-Fiqar" referring to the legendary sword of Imam Ali. Badreddine was killed by shelling at Damascus International Airport and Hezbollah announced the attack was launched by Takfiri groups. His death is seen as one of the biggest blows in the Hezbollah leadership.
Badreddine was born on 6 April 1961 in Al Ghobeiry, municipality in the Baabda District. His parents are Amine Badreddine and Fatima Jezeini, who originate from South Lebanon.
Until 1982, Badreddine, like Mugniyeh, was part of Fatah's Force 17. Later they both joined Hezbollah. Badreddine was among Hezbollah's bomb makers.
Badreddine was a member of the Shura council for Hezbollah and the head of the unit for overseas operations, Hezbollah's external operations branch. His aide in this post was Abdul Hadi Hammade, who previously commanded Hezbollah's secret Position 71. Prior to his appointment to this post in 2009, replacing Imad Mughniyah, Badreddine served as the commander of Hezbollah's military arm and an advisor to Hezbollah's Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Badreddine's appointment as the head of overseas operation was not supported by deputy general secretary of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem. He was also Nasrallah's chief of intelligence.
Ya Libnan reported that he had been behind the bombing of the US Marine Corps barracks in Lebanon in 1983, killing 241 marines.