Intelligence Briefs: Lebanon

France: Syrian Withdrawal from Lebanon Might "Add Fire" to Middle East

France appears to be backing the official US view that a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon should not take place until both Syrian and Lebanon have signed peace treaties with Israel. "France would like to see the Syrian army redeploy in conformity with the Ta'if Accord, but without adding a new fire to the raging fires across the Middle East," said a French official quoted in Al-Nahar (Beirut) on April 9. The statement comes in advance of French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine's trip to Syria and Lebanon at the end of April.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Edward Walker made similar comments during a hearing of the Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee on March 29 [see "Congressmen Press Walker on Syrian Occupation," Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, April 2001].

Terrorist Group Targets Pro-Israeli "Collaborators"

A shadowy group calling itself "Strike Force 513" claimed responsibility for a March 26 bomb attack in the border village of Houla that destroyed a car belonging to Muhammad Abboud, 47, who is accused by local residents of having worked for Israel. A hand-written statement from the group, found beside the wrecked car, said: "This is a warning to all collaborators and traitors that they should leave the town of Houla immediately, or the response will be very harsh and the gates of Hell will be opened on you." Hezbollah denied involvement in the attack, saying that the government is in charge of security in the area.

Attacks against former members of the pro-Israeli South Lebanon Army (SLA) militia and others accused of ties to Israel have become more and more frequent. Earlier last month, a house in the predominantly village of Shemaa (near Naqoura) belonging to a former SLA village chief was destroyed and a house in the village of Hebbarieh belonging to a former SLA spy was firebombed.

Adnan Addoum

Addoum Denies Accuracy of US State Dept. Report

Lebanese Prosecutor-General Adnan Addoum said last month that the US State Department's annual report on human rights in Lebanon contained "false information" about the judiciary. "Claims that the government has not adopted judicial proceedings against those responsible for kidnapping Lebanese during the war are wrong," said Addoum in a statement quoted by the Daily Star (Beirut) on March 30. Addoum, who is a close ally of the chief of Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon, Maj. Gen. Ghazi Kanaan, has been instrumental in blocking lawsuits by relatives of Lebanese citizens abducted by Syrian forces during and after the 1975-1990 civil war.

Addoum also denied that former members of the Israeli-armed South Lebanon Army (SLA) militia have been tortured while under detention by security forces. "No reports of torture have been registered," said Addoum, claiming that the three ex-SLA members who died last year succumbed to "heart failure." He added that Israeli agents and "suspicious people" have used the report to "tarnish the country's image."

More Assaults on Syrian Workers

According to local press reports on April 6, seven Syrian workers living in the predominantly Sunni Muslim town of Shebaa in south Lebanon were beaten with clubs by residents of the area, who threatened to shoot them if they did not leave the area within 48 hours. Armed members of the Lebanese branch of Syria's ruling Ba'ath party later intervened to protect the workers. On April 8, four Syrian workers were injured by unknown assailants in a predominantly Shi'ite southern suburb of Beirut.

Public animosity toward the estimated 1.4 million Syrian workers living in Lebanon has grown considerably as economic conditions in the country have deteriorated. [See "Syrian Workers in Lebanon: The Other Occupation," Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, February 2001]

Four suspected of funding Hezbollah indicted in US

A federal grand jury in North Carolina charged four people with providing material support to Hezbollah last month. According to investigators, the suspects provided cash and equipment, such as night-vision goggles, global positioning devices, mine detection equipment, and cell phones to the militant Lebanese Islamist group. "The defendants planned to acquire a variety of items that Hezbollah would use to engage in violent attacks and to film such attacks for use in Hezbollah propaganda efforts," said the indictment.

"We hope to send a clear message that North Carolina, the United States and Canada are off-limits for illegal funding and procurement activities by individuals or organizations that support terrorism," said Chris Swecker, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Charlotte office. Last year, the same grand jury indicted 18 alleged Hezbollah supporters on charges of money laundering, cigarette smuggling, and immigration violations.

Government Combats Money Laundering in Bid for FATF Approval

On April 10, the Lebanese parliament passed a draft law to combat money laundering that is expected to meet with approval from the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which included Lebanon in its blacklist of 15 countries deemed to be uncooperative in the fight against money laundering in June 2000. The FATF report, which recommended that financial institutions "give special attention to business relations and transactions with persons, including companies and financial institutions, from the noncooperative countries and territories."

In addition to drafting the new legislation, the Lebanese government has sought to win FATF approval by cracking down on some figures in the money laundering underworld. A few months ago, the authorities arrested the kingpin of a major money laundering network, Sunni businessman Selim El Dada, in West Beirut for trafficking in stolen cars, tax fraud and other infractions. Until recently, El Dada enjoyed the firm backing of several senior Syrian military and intelligence officers, but the Assad regime inexplicably withdrew its protection earlier this year.

Dalloul: US Preventing Syrian withdrawal

Former Lebanese Defense Minister Muhsin Dalloul, a close ally of Syria, told the Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai Al-Amm on April 1 that Syria wishes to withdraw from Lebanon, but United States is opposed to the departure of Syrian forces. "The Americans refuse to let the Syrians withdraw. This was made clear with what happened to [Maronite Christian] Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir in the US," said Dalloul, referring to the fact that President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell refused to meet with Sfeir. "The significance of this is that the Americans understand his points of view, yet wanted to make clear their belief that the Syrians still have a role to play in Lebanon."

Israel Condemns Iranian Missile Shipments to Hezbollah

On March 23, the Israeli daily Ma'ariv quoted Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as saying that Iran "has sent to Lebanon enormous shipments of missiles capable of hitting the center of Israel." He added that this was accomplished "through a massive airlift, the likes of which we have not seen in the past." Sharon called the shipments "a very dangerous development, especially since it is taking place in full coordination and cooperation with Syria, which provides protection to the most extremist organizations and makes its airport available to airlift arms."

"I am not concerned with confirming or denying Sharon's charges," said Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, according to the March 25 issue of Al-Nahar (Beirut). "But I wish to say we would be happy if the missiles Sharon spoke about are with us. That will keep him worrying indefinitely over the fate of Haifa and Tiberias as well as the entire Galilee."

Water Pipeline Draws Israeli Threats

Last month, Israel accused Lebanon of siphoning off water from the Hasbani river and hinted that the issue could spark a military conflict. The Hasbani River runs 18 km southward toward the Wazzani River, where it forms a confluence that streams to the Jordan River and Sea of Galilee. The Lebanese Council of the South has been laying down a small pipeline with a 10 cm diameter to pump drinking water from the river to the tiny border village of Wazzani. Local engineers are planning further construction of similar pumps in the future.

Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's minister for infrastructure, hinted at the prospect of military action if pumping went ahead. "Nobody heard me say wars break out over water," he told Israeli radio, "but factually that is correct, I regret." National water company chairman and former Intelligence Chief Uri Saguy said Lebanon was "intolerably tampering" with Israel's water interests. He declared that the water diversion was illegal and warned: "This is a problem that could be a cause for war in the region." Israeli officials have said that they would first try to seek UN intervention to stop Lebanon from siphoning off the rivers' water.

UN spokesman in Lebanon Timor Goksel doubted Israel's claim that "a tube with a 10 cm diameter is diverting the water of a river. I am rather baffled," Goksel said. Thus, it appears that the issue is not the amount that is being pumped, but the very principle of diverting water.

By the end of the month, Lebanon began pumping water from the Hasbani River to the villages of Wazzani and Mayassat, despite Israeli warnings.

Authorities Warn Farmers Not to Resume Drug Cultivation

The Lebanese Interior Ministry has warned farmers in the northern Beqaa and Hermel areas not to resume drug cultivation. Leaflets thrown by an army helicopter in the area in mid March warned that whoever grew cannabis faced a life sentence with hard labor and a fine of up to LL 100 million. Similarly, mayors who turned an eye on cultivation faced prison sentences and up to LL 2 million in fines. Prohibited in 1992, farmers have restarted the cultivation of cannabis, criticizing the state for abandoning its responsibility toward the region and its inhabitants and failing to provide alternative crops.