Intelligence Briefs: Lebanon

Sayyid Reportedly Escapes Assassination Attempt

According to Lebanese sources cited by Kuwait's Kuna news agency, a bomb that went off near the headquarters of the General Security Directorate [GSD] on August 20 was intended to kill the agency's director, Brig. Gen. Jamil al-Sayyid. The bomb exploded about 300 meters from Sayyid as he was driving his car into the parking lot of GSD headquarters. The sources said that the unanticipated presence of a security patrol in the area led the culprits to bungle the assassination attempt.

5,000 Syrians Reportedly Serving in Lebanese Army

On August 17, the Paris-based Arabic weekly Al-Watan Al-Arabi published a report alleging that Syrian military officers are directly running Lebanese security services and that an estimated 5,000 Syrian nationals are serving in the Lebanese army.

In response, the Lebanese army released a statement on August 24 accusing Al-Watan Al-Arabi of "publishing articles hostile to Syria, Lebanon and the Arabs in order to serve the interests of the Israeli enemy . . . The Lebanese Army denies every detail in the issue and urges citizens not to believe destructive rumors issued in foreign-based magazines."

Amnesty Reports "Gender-Based Torture" in Lebanon

On August 21, Amnesty International released a report, entitled "Lebanon - Torture and Ill-treatment of Women in Pre-trial Detention: A Culture of Acquiescence," which described abuses perpetrated by security forces against female detainees. The report highlighted specific cases of gender-based torture and mistreatment during interrogations, such as "rape and attempted rape, insertion of objects into the body, beating by solid objects, burning of cigarettes on sensitive parts of the female body, and forcible stripping."

Lebanese Prosecutor-General Adnan Addoum said that he was unaware of these violations and complained that Amnesty did not contact him about the abuses beforehand. "We just read about it in the press, but we'd like to know why they never complained to us, or why they didn't follow up the issue with us first." Addoum also said that he has appointed Judge Rabia Kaddoura to "conduct an investigation and follow up the allegations."

UN Inquires about Lebanese Detainees in Syria

The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights recently submitted a request to Lebanon for information about 261 people reportedly detained illegally in Syrian prisons. On August 14, the Lebanese delegation to the commission, headed by Abdel Salam Cheaib, met with UN officials to answer their questions about the detainees, but insisted that all Lebanese prisoners in Syria have been accounted for. The commission is expected to release a report on the issue in April 2002. [For more on Lebanese detainees in Syria, see Syria and the Politics of Arbitrary Detention in Lebanon in the January 2001 issue of MEIB & Interview: Ghazi Aad in the April 2001 issue of MEIB]

Moody's Downgrades Lebanon's Foreign Debt Rating

The international ratings agency Moody's downgraded Lebanon's foreign currency debt rating from B2 to B1 on July 31, a significant setback for the Lebanese government's efforts to bolster international confidence in the Lebanese economy. "The downgrade reflects a serious deterioration of Lebanon's government debt dynamics that has been exacerbated by sluggish economic growth," said Moody's in a report published on its web site. It also downgraded the government's domestic currency issuer rating from B3 to B1.