On the evening of Valentine’s Day, there was an explosion in a residential area of Damascus. It had been a car bomb that killed only one person, a Hezbollah leader.
We heard no explosion and actually didn’t even hear of the news until we saw it on the internet. It was discussed mostly among the expat communities. We heard that it was a Palestinian that was the suspect but they believed the person to be working as an agent for Israel. Then again, Syria always seems to think some one is an agent of Israel it seems. Even if you have a Jewish sounding name and travel on a passport that is not Israeli, they may still think you are from Israel. There is so much suspicion between the two countries it is hard to think of them ever being able to sit down and negotiate peace while actually believe what the other side is saying.
Some people may view this assassination as a complete success. The only person affected was exactly the person they were seeking to remove. Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization but isn’t it also terrorism to rig and deploy a car bomb in a peaceful residential area with the intention of killing? And so, the cycle of killing continues with no end in sight. Strangely enough, life in Damascus is still as peaceful as ever and day to day life continues despite what impression the media may give.
