{
  "id": 5307987,
  "title": "Israel admits it assassinated senior Assad official in Syria in 2008",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/israel-admits-it-assassinated-senior-assad-official-in-syria-in-2008",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T10:47:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-admits-it-assassinated-senior-assad-official-syria-2008"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nAccording 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.\n\nOlmert 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.",
  "summary": "Israel admits it assassinated senior Assad official in Syria in 2008 Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Thu, 09/03/2026 - 10:17 New book says Muhammad Suleiman oversaw construction of nuclear reactor in Deir Ezzor Muhammad Suleiman was a senior aide to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (AFP) Off Israel has admitted to assassinating a senior aide to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2008,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}