Middle East Intelligence Bulletin
Jointly published by the United States Committee for a Free Lebanon and the Middle East Forum
  Vol. 1   No. 12

December 1999 


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Intelligence Briefs: Lebanon

Palestinians Riot, Wound Lebanese Army Officer (20 November 1999)
Lahad Says He Will Resign if IDF Withdraws Unilaterally (25 November 1999)
Investigation of Tripoli Church Bombings Points toward "Non-Lebanese" Suspect (3 December 1999)
Lebanon's Unspent Economic Aid May Go to Syria (6 December 1999)
Amine Gemayel May Return to Lebanon Next Year (9 December 1999)

Ain al-Hilweh
Protests turned violent in Ain al-Hilweh
Palestinians Riot, Wound Lebanese Army Officer
20 November 1999

Palestinian students protesting the increased Lebanese security presence at the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon burned tires and clashed with Lebanese army troops, wounding an officer.

Lahad Says He Will Resign if IDF Withdraws Unilaterally
25 November 1999

South Lebanon Army (SLA) Commander Gen. Antoine Lahad said today that he will resign if Israeli forces pull out of south Lebanon without reaching an agreement with Syria. "I would not be part of the game in the event of a pullback without an agreement," said Lahad at a graduation ceremony for SLA officers.

Investigation of Tripoli Church Bombings Points toward "Non-Lebanese" Suspect
4 December 1999

An-Nahar reported today that Lebanese investigators have identified the suspected mastermind of several church bombings in Tripoli over the last few months. The report said that the suspect is "non-Lebanese." Newspapers in Lebanon regularly use this term in reference to Syrian criminal suspects (it being widely understood that non-Syrian suspects are almost always identified by nationality). Five Lebanese members of the fundamentalist Islamic Tawhid movement have already been indicted for their alleged involvement in the blasts.

Lebanon's Unspent Economic Aid May Go to Syria
6 December 1999

Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Cassini said today that $200 million in economic aid to Lebanon provided by Italy may be retracted because "the [Lebanese] government has not said how it intends to spend the sum." Unless Lebanon allocates the money to specific projects by the end of the year, "the money will go to a neighboring country," said Cassini. Asked if he meant Israel, Cassini said "no."

Amine Gemayel May Return to Lebanon Next Year
9 December 1999

Al-Mustaqbal reported today that Mahdi Tajer, a businessman from the United Arab Emirates, is negotiating with Syrian and Lebanese officials on behalf of former Lebanese president Amine Gemayel to secure his return to Lebanon next year. Gemayel has lived in France since the end of his tenure in 1988.

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