Syrian Civil War 2011-2012 - Societa italiana di storia militare

3. Damascus bombing 18 July 2012
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Location
Coordinates
Rawda Square, Damascus, Syria
33°31′16.09″N 36°16′58.15″E33.5211361°N 36.2828194°ECoordinates: 33°31′16.09″N
36°16′58.15″E33.5211361°N 36.2828194°E
Date 18 July 2012
Target Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Cabinet members [1]
Attack type
Bombing, assassination
Weapon(s) Remotely detonated bomb, TNT [1][2]
Deaths At least 4 [3][4][5][6]
Injured At least 2 [7][8]
On 18 July 2012, during the Syrian civil war, a bombing occurred at the National Security headquarters in Rawda Square, Damascus.
Syrian state-owned television reported that it was a suicide attack while the opposition claims it was a remotely detonated bomb.
Bombing The attack, during a meeting of ministers and a number of heads of security agencies, resulted in the death of the Syrian
Defense Minister General Dawoud Rajiha. [3] Also killed were Assef Shawkat, President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law and deputy
defense minister, [4] the assistant to the vice president General Hasan Turkmani, [5][11] and Hafez Makhlouf, head of investigations at the
Syrian Intelligence Agency. [6] However, Hafez Makhlouf was also reported to be wounded. [12] The country's intelligence and national
security chief [13] Hisham Ikhtiyar was seriously wounded. [14] There were conflicting reports on the fate of the Interior minister
Mohammad al-Shaar with initial accounts stating that he had also been killed, but later state TV reported that he survived although
wounded. [15] Additional reports stated that he was in stable condition. [16] Al-Shaar was reported dead later, according to al Jazeera. [17]
Mohammad Said Bakhtian, the national secretary of the Ba'ath Party, was also wounded in the bombing. [7] Press TV provided a
conflicting report, indicating that Hisham Ikhityar had died in the bombing and that Mohammad al-Shaar had been wounded. [8] On 20
July 2012, the death of Hisham Ikhtiyar was confirmed by Syrian authorities. [18]
Victims
• General Dawoud Rajiha, Syrian Defense Minister – Dead.
• Assef Shawkat, President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law and Deputy Defense Minister – Dead.
• General Hasan Turkmani, Assistant to the Vice President and former Defense Minister – Dead.
• Hisham Ikhtiyar, Syria's Intelligence and National Security Chief – Dead.
• Hafez Makhlouf, Bashar al-Assad's cousin and head of investigations at the Syrian Intelligence Agency – conflicting reports.
• Mohammad al-Shaar, Interior Minister – conflicting reports of being deceased or seriously wounded.
• Mohammad Said Bakhtian, National Secretary of the Ba'ath Party, reports of being seriously wounded.
Perpetrator The bomber was reportedly a bodyguard of one of the meeting's attendants. [19] The opposition meanwhile claimed that
the cause of the explosion was not a suicide bomber, but that a rebel insider planted bombs inside the building and detonated it
remotely from a distant location. [2] The Islamist Liwa al Islam ("The Brigade of Islam") [9] and the Free Syrian Army both claimed
responsibility for the bombing. [10] Louay al-Mokdad, the Free Syrian Army’s logistical coordinator, claimed that the attack was
perpetrated by a group of Free Syrian Army members in coordination with drivers and bodyguards working for Assad’s high-ranking
officials. [1] Others, such as The Independent's chief Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk, speculated that the bombing was carried
out by forces (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or an organization) outside the country. [20] It was further stated that the two explosive devices, one
made of twenty-five pounds of TNT, and the other a smaller C-4 plastic-explosive device, had been put in the room days before the
meeting by a person working for Hisham Ikhtiyar. [1]
Reaction
Domestic Although there were no statements from President Assad himself, Syrian TV said after the attack that a decree from him
named Gen. Fahd Jassem al-Freij, who used to be the army chief of staff, as the new defense minister. [21] Syrian state television said
foreign-backed terrorists had carried out the attack. The country's armed forces said in a statement that Syria was "determined to
confront all forms of terrorism and chop off any hand that harms national security". [22] On 19 July 2012, Syrian state television
broadcasted images of President Assad at the Presidential Palace in Damascus, cutting short speculation fueled by his silence
following the attack against his inner circle the previous day. In the images broadcast by the television, Assad was seen in blue suit,
receiving the new defense minister, Fahd Jassem al-Freij, after the swearing ceremony. [23][24] According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz,
the state TV announcement appeared aimed at sending the message that Assad is alive, well and still firmly in charge. It said Assad
wished the new defense minister good luck but it did not say where the swearing-in took place. Nor did it show any photos or video of
the ceremony, as it usually would. [25]
International
• Iran – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the bombing, adding that "the only way of resolving the current crisis
in Syria is through talks." [26]
• Israel – Defense Minister Ehud Barak urgently summoned intelligence and security officials to discuss possible
implications of the rapidly deteriorating situation in Syria. They included Chief of the General Staff of the IDF Lt. Gen.
Benny Gantz and heads of the Northern Command, Military Intelligence Department, the Planning Directorate and the
various IDF branches. [27]