The true story behind 'Ghosts of Beirut': Showtime's spy thriller uncovers manhunt of terrorist Imad Mughniyeh
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Showtime’s four-part limited series ‘Ghosts of Beirut’ is finally out with its first episode. The spy thriller is exclusively brought to you by the creators of ‘Fauda', and it revisits the true events linked to one of the deadliest terrorists ever known by the world, Imad Mughniyeh.
The series is created by Greg Barker, Avi Issacharoff, and Lior Raz, who are popularly known for producing content based on true events such as ‘Manhunt: The Inside Story of the Hunt for Bin Laden', ‘Sergio’, ‘The Final Year', and ‘Fauda', to name a few. ‘Ghosts of Beirut’ walks on a similar path of uncovering the story of the deadliest Lebanese terrorist, Imad Mughniyeh, the supposed mastermind of Hezbollah. He is said to have killed more Americans than any other terrorist before 9/11, as he outwitted the CIA and Mossad for over two decades.
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The story of ‘Imad Mughniyeh’ known as ‘The Ghost’
Growing up in a tumultuous region marked by conflict, Mughniyeh was deeply influenced by the Lebanese Civil War, which began in 1975. Mughniyeh was born in the town of Tayr Dibba, Lebanon, and later emerged as the mastermind of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist militant group. During the Lebanese Civil War, he became involved in Hezbollah, which was formed in the early 1980s with the aim to counter Israeli occupation in Lebanon.
Mughniyeh became one of the world’s most wanted individuals by intelligence agencies for his alleged involvement in multiple terrorist attacks. He was part of devastating bombings of the US Embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 as well as attacks on Israeli targets in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Despite being rigorously pursued by intelligence agencies such as the CIA and Mossad, he was able to evade capture for many years by changing his appearance and operating under various aliases. However, his luck ran out when he was killed in a car bombing in Damascus, Syria, on February 12, 2008, killing him and several others. The truth surrounding his assassination remains unclear as Mossad was suspected to have been involved. However, they never officially confirmed their hand in his death. Mughniyeh's death and actions had a significant ongoing impact on the region, which is reflected in the complex nature of the conflicts in the Middle East.
Showtime's four-part limited series also includes real-life interviews of various officials from the CIA and Mossad, which gives the series a great push. The interviews help viewers connect the turmoil of 1980s Beirut with Mughniyeh’s activities.
‘You push the button, and go to Paradise’
The official trailer of ‘Ghosts of Beirut’ has a voice-over in Arabic that says, "You push the button and go to Paradise," to bring forth the story of the horrific terrorist, Mughniyeh aka ‘the ghost’. The series is a Showtime original in which Hisham Suliman has performed the role of Imad Mughniyeh with utmost authenticity by delving deep into his character. Other actors starring in the spy thriller include Navid Negahban, Amir Khoury, Zineb Triki, Dina Shihabi, Dermot Mulroney, Yuval Scharf, and Iddo Goldberg, among others.
‘Ghosts of Beirut’ Episode 1 is now available to stream on Showtime.