Hizbullah arch-terrorist Imad Mughniyeh was visiting Syria for high-level talks with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal when he was eliminated Tuesday night, the London-based Ash-sharq il-Awsat newspaper reported Thursday. Mughniyeh traveled from Tehran to Damascus in late January, apparently under a pseudonym, in order to discuss the situation in Gaza.

The newspaper also reported that Mughniyeh met with senior Syrian security officials shortly before the assassination.