Israel admits it assassinated senior Assad official in Syria in 2008

In 2008, Israel admitted to assassinating a senior aide to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Muhammad Suleiman. The revelation came from a new book by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who provided firsthand details of the assassination. Suleiman, who served as a chief military and intelligence aide, oversaw the construction and security of the Syrian nuclear facility in Deir Ezzor.

According to Olmert, Suleiman and his guests were sitting on the balcony when Israeli naval commandos approached on the dark night, about 150 meters away. They fired three shots at Suleiman, hitting him in the back of the head. After the assassination, the soldiers quickly retreated to their boat.

Olmert revealed that Suleiman received a new Mercedes from Assad a month before his assassination as a token of appreciation for his work on the Deir Ezzor reactor. The Syrian government, which was overthrown in 2024, had long accused Israel of the assassination. A UN report confirmed that Assad's government was in charge of the nuclear facility in Deir Ezzor, a fact that was also exposed by Israeli commandos.