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Lebanese Money Changer Surour Victim of Ambush by Mossad-linked Woman

Mohammad Surour’s funeral procession in Lebanon (NNA)
Mohammad Surour’s funeral procession in Lebanon (NNA)
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Lebanese Money Changer Surour Victim of Ambush by Mossad-linked Woman

Mohammad Surour’s funeral procession in Lebanon (NNA)
Mohammad Surour’s funeral procession in Lebanon (NNA)

Lebanese security sources confirm that the killing of money changer Mohammad Surour is seen as a politically motivated crime, suggesting Israeli involvement.

The investigation, led by Lebanon’s security forces, points towards organized criminal activity rather than a simple robbery.

Surour’s body was found with $6,000 untouched, placed on top, alongside weapons with no fingerprints.

The search for Surour began after his family reported his disappearance on April 4, contradicting his earlier plans to join them for iftar, the dinner that Muslims have to break their fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

As soon as Maj. Gen. Khaled Hammoud heard about Surour’s disappearance, he instructed his team to analyze Surour’s phone records to track his last location before his phone went dead.

The analysis pointed to Beit Merry as the place Surour was last seen.

Lebanese authorities then searched Beit Merry and its surroundings using surveillance cameras. They found Surour’s body in a villa, shot multiple times. It's unclear if he was tortured.

Investigators are also looking into whether his phone was shut off during interrogation about his financial transactions.

Surour apparently used his motorcycle to reach the villa, which was leased online for $50,000.

The person who rented the villa gave a full name, claiming to be Lebanese from a well-known family. But doubts remain about their true identity. The leasing company is still unidentified.

According to sources, his nephew revealed that Surour accompanied him to the villa after being asked by a Lebanese woman, identified later as Z.H., to transfer $14,000 from Iraq.

Surour withdrew the money but was surprised when the woman received it from behind a window.

Days later, she asked for another $4,000, and Surour went alone for the second transaction.

Upon entering the villa, he fell into a trap set by the woman and her accomplices, who interrogated him about his overseas financial transactions before fatally shooting him.

They left the crime weapons underwater in the bathroom to erase fingerprints.

A security source who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat suggests the crime was meticulously organized, intended to send a political message through Surour’s killing, possibly aimed at individuals handling financial affairs for Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The source asserts that the involvement of the Israeli Mossad is clear, speculating that the logistical team responsible for the crime may have been removed from the country, as often occurs in similar cases.

Surour, according to political sources, was not affiliated with Hezbollah, although he was involved in its political circle.

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Aoun Wants Formation of ‘Consensual’ Lebanese Govt Representing All Components

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
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Aoun Wants Formation of ‘Consensual’ Lebanese Govt Representing All Components

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is advocating the formation of a government of “consensus” that includes representatives from all political factions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam has requested that parliamentary blocs submit non-partisan nominees for ministerial positions, emphasizing that they must not belong to any political party.

Aoun stressed on Tuesday that all components of society have the right to be represented in the government, parliament and public administration, as this is already practiced in the army.

“We have significant opportunities that we hope to seize by uniting all elements of Lebanese society—civil, spiritual, and political. Together, we can rebuild our nation,” he declared.

Highlighting the importance of meeting international expectations, Aoun hoped for the rapid formation of a government to achieve political, economic, and security stability, which would allow citizens “to live with dignity, not merely in relative comfort.”

During meetings with professional delegations at the Presidential Palace, Aoun said: “We are at a crossroads. Either we take advantage of the current circumstances and rise above sectarian, religious, and political divisions, or we head in a different direction and bear full responsibility for failing to fulfill our duties.”

Negotiations between Aoun, Salam, and political factions over the formation of a government are ongoing. The discussions, which kicked off last week, have reportedly made progress, with efforts directed toward expediting the government formation process, issuing decrees, preparing a ministerial statement, and securing its vote of confidence from lawmakers.

While the Shiite duo of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement appear to have finalized their proposed nominees for the government, disagreements over the ministerial statement remain.

MP Waddah Sadek, who is backed by the opposition, firmly rejected the inclusion of the “Army, People, Resistance” term in the statement. He declared: “No ‘blocking third’ in the government, and no unconstitutional gimmicks. The slogan of the new phase in Lebanon should be: the ‘Army, People, and State.’”

The Kataeb Party echoed this stance, stressing that Lebanon, emerging from a devastating war between Hezbollah and Israel, must align with the Aoun’s inaugural speech and Salam’s remarks by ensuring the ministerial statement exclusively underscores the state’s monopoly over arms and the defense of the nation.

“The government must act decisively, dismantle militias, strictly enforce the ceasefire, and uphold its provisions across all Lebanese territory,” it demanded.

The Kataeb Party also urged Aoun and Salam to resist the “great extortion” by Hezbollah and Amal to secure specific ministries or positions, in violation of the inaugural speech, calling instead for the application of uniform standards to ensure the government’s success.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah adopted a more confrontational tone.

MP Hussein Hajj Hassan, a member of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, commented: “To those betting on Hezbollah’s weakness or the weakness of the Hezbollah-Amal alliance, what will you say when the government is formed? What will you say when you realize the strength of Hezbollah, the alliance, and the resistance’s supporters across all segments of Lebanese society? What will you say when you see the unwavering determination and unity of the resistance at every critical juncture?”