Looks like Damascus is losing its hard-fought status as the world's leading terrorist safehouse. Having the IAF demonstrate utter contempt for your cutting edge anti-aircraft system is one thing. But not being able to secure one of your prize terrorists in your own capital? Tsk, tsk:

A nasty surprise awaited Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who was scheduled to arrive in Damascus on Wednesday to discuss the Lebanese crisis with Bashar Assad. Syria, the Iranian minister found out, is no longer a secure state, its intelligence is penetrable, and Iran's emissaries and friends - whether the leaders of Islamic Jihad or Hamas - are now, with Imad Mughniyah's assassination, in the first line of fire. Mottaki could have surmised that in Damascus, he too could be an easy target. If Mottaki got a surprise, Assad was hit with the full blow that under his own nose, and not in fragmented Lebanon "full of traitors," as Hezbollah says, such a complex operation could have been cooked up and carried out.

In fairness to Assad, it's tough to secure Damascus - a city already crawling with foreign intrigue as the home of some of the world's most excerable terrorist cretins - when the Mossad is this aweomse:

Whoever carried out the operation demonstrated very impressive capabilities, in particular in collecting intelligence. Such an operation requires the most exact planning for months in advance. Precise information is needed, which must come from the target's inner circle. They must have provided details on his daily routine, movements, hiding places and security arrangements. Planning such an operation also requires precision in getting the operators where they need to be, and even more important, they must know how to get away. And all this must be done without leaving a trace... There is no doubt that the killing sent an unequivocal message to Nasrallah that maybe he should lower his profile of arrogance and self-confidence.In addition, the killing rocks the organization's stability and makes it raise its suspicions about traitors from the inside. Without any doubt, the killing will also harm Hezbollah's operational capabilities.

So one of the world's most dangerous terrorists - a man the US considered as evil as Bin Laden and twice as capable - was hiding out in Damascus? Say, you think the State Department knew that when they totally screwed Israel by bundling Syria into Annapolis?

References:
* Iran, Hamas, And Islamic Jihad Meet In Syria To Plan Mideast Turmoil [MR]
* Assad Was Planning To Use Nukes Against Israel (Plus: The Totally Awesome IAF Commando Operation That Slowed Him Down) [MR]
* ANALYSIS: Mughniyah death could spark Lebanese civil war [Ha'aretz]
* ANALYSIS: Whoever killed Mughniyah showed impressive capabilities [Ha'aretz]
* State Department Gets Bright Idea: Let's Screw Israel Even More By Bundling Syria Into The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process [MR]

Previously:
* This Summer's War With Syria - Syria Aims Chemical And Biological Weapons At Israeli Cities, Complains That Israel Might Attack It To Prevent It From Launching Chemical And Biological Weapons
* Syria Responds To US Peacemaking Team By Sentencing Political Dissident
* Syria's Been Building Their Nuclear Reactor Since 2003 And The State Department Still Tried To Stop Israel From Taking It Out (Plus: Awesome IDF Bombing Raid Just Got Filled With Even More Awesome)