Since 2005, the SSRC has been on a list of the US Treasury Department, “Blocking Property of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators and their Supporters.” The SSRC has been hit by two air strikes and one missile strike that were blamed on Israel. Israel has never officially denied or confirmed these allegations.
The Abu Amara Brigades, a Syrian rebel group affiliated with al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the assassination, releasing a statement on their Telegram online channel stating they “planted explosive devices” which detonated and killed Azbar.