Ghosts of Beirut on Showtime: How did Imad Mughniyeh die?

Ghosts of Beirut is a bone-chilling four-part spy drama series that explores the arresting story of one of the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists, Imad Mughniyeh. The series will make its arrival on Sunday, May 21, 2023, at 10 pm ET, exclusively on Showtime Network. Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz are the creators of the series, which has been directed by Greg Barker.

The official synopsis for Ghosts of Beirut, released by Showtime, reads:

"Four-part limited series based on one of the most extraordinary real-life espionage stories of our time: the manhunt for Imad Mughniyeh, the elusive terrorist mastermind who outwitted his adversaries for over two decades. Based on a true story, Mugniyeh took terrorism to deadly new levels, creating public martyrs out of anonymous suicide bombers. As CIA and Mossad operatives were haunted by Imad’s actions, they unexpectedly join forces in a high-stakes international chase to finally find and take down the man known as 'the ghost.'"

Since Showtime launched the official trailer for Ghosts of Beirut, viewers have been eager to learn what happened to the allegedly sinister terrorist Imad Mughniyeh. Imad Mughniyeh was assassinated as part of a joint CIA – Mossad operation in 2008.

Here's some more information about the death of the man behind many horrifying terrorist attacks, before Ghosts of Beirut airs on Showtime Channel.

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Learn all about what happened to Imad Mughniyeh ahead of the debut of Ghosts of Beirut on Showtime Channel

Who was Imad Mughniyeh?

A still of Imad Mughniyeh (Image via Getty Images)

As per the Washington Post, Imad Mughniyeh was the man behind some of the most brutal terrorist attacks that occurred in the 1980s in Lebanon. He was the chief of staff of a political party and a Lebanese Shia Islamist militant group named Hezbollah. He also founded Hezbollah in the 1980s and went on to establish the Islamic Jihad Organization of Lebanon. He used to reportedly oversee the security apparatuses, military, and intelligence of Hezbollah.

Imad Mughniyeh was also directly connected to the terrible 1983 US embassy bombings and the inhuman Beirut barracks bombing. The attacks cut short the lives of over 350 people. Mughniyeh allegedly planned the Israeli embassy attack in Argentina's Buenos Aires in 1992. In that terrorist attack, almost 29 civilians lost their lives and 242 civilians were left seriously injured.

The man was reportedly an expert at covering his tracks and staying hidden from the hands of authorities. Thus, he was infamously referred to as an 'untraceable ghost.'

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How was Imad Mughniyeh assassinated?

A still from Ghosts of Beirut (Image via Showtime/YouTube)

On February 12, 2008, at around 23:00, Imad Mughniyeh was assassinated in a car bombing in the neighborhood of Kafr Sousa in Damascus, Syria. The mindful assassination was reportedly conducted by a joint CIA – Mossad operation. As reported by The Sunday Times, Mughniyeh arrived at a reception for the 29th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, which was hosted by Ahmad Musavi, the Iranian ambassador to Syria.

Imad Mughniyeh reportedly left the anniversary party right after 22:30 and walked down to his car, a Mitsubishi Pajero. The spare tire of his car was replaced with a high-power explosive, which was then detonated as he went on to walk beside it.

The explosion destroyed his car completely, leaving minimum damage on a few nearby apartments. Only Mughniyeh was killed in the bombing. Later on, an investigation was conducted by the Syrian government, which discovered that the man was killed in a car explosion through a bombing. It was also revealed that the bomb inside the car was detonated remotely.

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Don't forget to catch Ghosts of Beirut, which will air on the Showtime Network this Sunday, May 21, 2023.