A Syrian businessman, Mohammad Baraa Qatarji, widely known as the “godfather of oil” for the Bashar al-Assad regime, was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike near the Lebanon-Syria border. The strike targeted Qatarji’s vehicle on the al-Saboura highway near Damascus, according to Syrian state-aligned newspaper al-Watan and various pro-government media sources.
Qatarji, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2018 for facilitating shipments of fuel and weapons to the Syrian regime, was recognized for his pivotal role in the trade of oil and other commodities between Assad’s government and ISIS-controlled territories. His company, the Qatirji Group, was designated by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for providing oil products to ISIS and supporting the Syrian regime’s war efforts.
BREAKING – Prominent pro-regime Syrian businessman Baraa Katerji killed in Israeli strike near Lebanese-Syrian border – three security sources @Reuters pic.twitter.com/0mxwAxTdpN
— Timour Azhari (@timourazhari) July 15, 2024
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed the incident, noting that Qatarji was killed instantly when an Israeli drone struck his SUV. An official from an Iran-backed group corroborated the report, adding that another unidentified individual also died in the attack.
Israel has not officially commented on the strike, which occurred amidst escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon. The airstrike followed a drone attack on Israel’s southern resort city of Eilat, attributed to Syrian territory. The previous week, another Israeli drone strike on the same road killed a former bodyguard of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Qatarji’s death marks a significant blow to the Assad regime’s logistical network. He was instrumental in securing oil from Kurdish-controlled areas of Syria for the Assad regime and was involved in funding pro-Iran militias in Syria. These activities made him a prime target for Israeli operations aimed at disrupting the logistical and financial networks supporting Hezbollah and other Iran-aligned groups in the region.
