Samir Kuntar

Samir Kuntar while visiting Tomb of Hafez in Shiraz , Iran . Samir Kuntar ( , also transcribed Sameer , Kantar , Quntar , Qantar ) (born July 20, 1962) is a Lebanese Druze former member of the Palestine Liberation Front who was convicted of murder. On April 22, 1979, at the age of 16, he participated in the attempted kidnapping of an Israeli family in Nahariya that resulted in the deaths of four Israelis and two of his fellow kidnappers. Kuntar and his team broke into an apartment building and kidnapped a father, 31-year-old Danny Haran, and his 4-year-old daughter, Einat, taking them to a nearby beach and killing them. In Israel , Kuntar is considered the perpetrator of one of the most brutal terrorist attacks in the country's history. Newsweek states that the details of Kuntar's attack are "so sickening they give pause even to some of Israel's enemies." The Jerusalem Post states that "exactly how popular Kuntar is in Lebanon is up for some debate." In November 2008, Syrian president Bashar Assad presented Kuntar with a Syrian medal and in early 2009 he was honored by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad . He is on a list of people banned from entering the United Kingdom . The New York Times . Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs . "A celebration of evil" , The Jerusalem Post , July 15, 2008. [1] "Convicted murderer is not considered a 'hero' in Lebanon, some say" , The Jerusaelm Post , June 16, 2008.

Lebanese mass murderer convicted of terrorism Samir Kuntar ( , also transcribed Sameer , Kantar , Quntar , Qantar ; 20 July 1962 – 19 December 2015) was a Lebanese Druze member of the Palestine Liberation Front and Hezbollah . He was convicted of terrorism and murder by an Israeli court. After his release from prison as part of the 2008 Israel–Hezbollah prisoner exchange , he received Syria's highest medal, honored by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , and designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US government. In Israel , Kuntar is considered the perpetrator of one of the most brutal terrorist attacks in the country's history. On 22 April 1979, at the age of 16, Kuntar participated in the killing of an Israeli policeman and the attempted kidnapping of an Israeli family in Nahariya that resulted in the deaths of four Israelis and two of his fellow kidnappers. Kuntar and his team broke into an apartment building and kidnapped a father, 31-year-old Danny Haran, and his 4-year-old daughter, Einat, taking them to a nearby beach. According to eyewitnesses and forensic reports, Kuntar shot Danny to death at close range, and then killed the girl Einat by smashing her skull against the rocks with the butt of his rifle. During the attack, Smadar Haran accidentally suffocated her two-year-old daughter Yael to death while attempting to quiet her whimpering, which would have revealed their hiding place. Newsweek states that the details of Kuntar's attack are "so sickening they give pause even to some of Israel's enemies." After his release, Kuntar became a senior official in Hezbollah . According to Druze sources, Hezbollah put Kuntar in charge of the Quneitra Governorate during the Syrian Civil War , where he commanded attacks against Israeli targets. According to the US government, Kuntar played an operational role, with the assistance of Iran and Syria, in "building up Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure in the Golan Heights ". On 19 December 2015, Kuntar was killed by an explosion in the outskirts of Damascus. According to official Syrian sources, Kuntar was killed by "terrorist rocket attack". On 20 December 2015, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi described the incident as a terrorist operation "plotted beforehand", noting that Syrian authorities were carrying out an investigation to find out how the operation happened. Hezbollah claimed that the building was destroyed by an air-to-surface missile launched by Israeli Air Force jets . On 21 December, the Free Syrian Army released a video clip claiming responsibility for killing Kuntar. The New York Times . Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs . How will Nasrallah retaliate for death of Hezbollah leader in Syria? . "Free Syrian Army rebels claim Samir Kuntar assassination" . i24news .

Lebanese Hezbollah member and terrorist Samir Kuntar ( , also transcribed Sameer , Kantar , Quntar , Qantar ; 20 July 1962 – 19 December 2015) was a Lebanese Druze member of the Palestine Liberation Front and Hezbollah . He was convicted of terrorism and murder by an Israeli court. After his release from prison as part of the 2008 Israel–Hezbollah prisoner exchange , he received Syria's highest medal, was honored by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , and was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US government. In Israel , Kuntar is considered the perpetrator of one of the most brutal terrorist attacks in the country's history. On 22 April 1979, at the age of 16, Kuntar participated in the killing of an Israeli policeman and the attempted kidnapping of an Israeli family in Nahariya that resulted in the deaths of four Israelis and two of his fellow kidnappers. After his release, Kuntar became a senior official in Hezbollah . According to Druze sources, Hezbollah put Kuntar in charge of the Quneitra Governorate during the Syrian Civil War , where he commanded attacks against Israeli targets. According to the US government, Kuntar played an operational role, with the assistance of Iran and Syria, in "building up Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure in the Golan Heights ". On 19 December 2015, Kuntar was killed by an explosion in the outskirts of Damascus. According to official Syrian sources, Kuntar was killed by "terrorist rocket attack". On 20 December 2015, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi described the incident as a terrorist operation "plotted beforehand", commenting that Syrian authorities were carrying out an investigation to find out how the operation happened. Hezbollah claimed that the building was destroyed by an air-to-surface missile launched by Israeli Air Force jets . On 21 December, the Free Syrian Army released a video clip claiming responsibility for killing Kuntar. The New York Times . How will Nasrallah retaliate for death of Hezbollah leader in Syria? . "Free Syrian Army rebels claim Samir Kuntar assassination" . i24news .

Lebanese Hezbollah member Samir Kuntar ( Arabic : سمير القنطار , also transcribed Sameer , Kantar , Quntar , Qantar ; 20 July 1962 – 19 December 2015) was a Lebanese Druze member of the Palestine Liberation Front . In 1979, he took part in the Nahariya attack in Israel, for which an Israeli court would convict him of murder and terrorism. Kantar denied the accusations and maintained his innocence. He was eventually released as part of the 2008 Israel–Hezbollah prisoner exchange . Samir Kuntar was born to a Druze family in Lebanon and joined Palestinian militants in Lebanon at a young age. In 1979 at the age of 16, Kuntar and three other Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) militants snuck into Nahariya , Israel, by boat. Their goal was to capture Israelis and force Israel into a prisoner exchange, but the "raid went horribly wrong". In the end, two Israeli police officers and two Israeli civilians were dead, as were two of the PLF members. Israeli authorities argued based on eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence that Kuntar had murdered the two Israeli civilians, a father and his four year old daughter, alleging that Kuntar shot the father and bludgeoned the daughter to death with his rifle. Kuntar maintained they had been killed by Israeli forces as they shot at him and the PLF militants. Kuntar's involvement in the Nahariya attack and his conviction for child murder made him a widely reviled figure in Israel. After Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah began to campaign for the release of all Lebanese citizens from Israel. Israel's refusal to release Kuntar (and other Lebanese citizens) was cited as the justification for the 2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid , which lead to the 2006 Lebanon War . After the war, Kuntar was released from prison as part of the 2008 Israel–Hezbollah prisoner exchange . His arrival in Lebanon was greeted by crowds of tens of thousands of people, as well as Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Sinora . He continued to be celebrated, receiving Syria's highest medal, and later being honored by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad . The US government designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist . According to some sources, Kuntar took part in the Syrian Civil War . On 19 December 2015, Kuntar was killed by an explosion in the outskirts of Damascus. According to official Syrian sources, Kuntar was killed by "terrorist rocket attack". On 20 December 2015, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi described the incident as a terrorist operation "plotted beforehand", commenting that Syrian authorities were carrying out an investigation to find out how the operation happened. Hezbollah claimed that the building was destroyed by an air-to-surface missile launched by Israeli Air Force jets . On 21 December, the Free Syrian Army released a video clip claiming responsibility for killing Kuntar. The New York Times . "Free Syrian Army rebels claim Samir Kuntar assassination" . i24news .