Israeli French scientist died in an attempted threesome in central Tel Aviv

A pro-Iranian group claimed responsibility for the killing of a 70 year old French-Israeli Professor who was stabbed to death, and then burnt in his house on one of the city's most important streets (named after its first mayor, Meir Dizengoff). But the Professor was actually trying to get a threesome when the female escorts killed him; is this the new modus operandi of Iranian intelligence? They lure you in with a threesome, then they kill you. It would be interesting if they're recruiting escorts now, The Martyr's escort Brigades.
His body was later found by fire fighters wrapped in a bag. Hezbollah's Arabic language publication, alintiqad, also reported that Lallouz was active in the the world union of Jewish students (which basically doesn't mean anything).
An Israeli website (see below) later claimed that the police arrested two women escorts and two male accomplices in the murder; they were invited to his house and killed him in attempted burglary. They stole his tv sets.


The previously unknown group, which now seems a hoax, announced in statement #1 that it carried out an assassination of the "Zionist Chemistry Expert" Dr. Elie Lallouz (Israeli media called him Eli Laluz) who is a French citizen and a graduate of the Weizmann Institute of Science (rehovot), in retaliation to a Mossad assassination of General Hassan Tehrani, the Architect of the Iranian missile program. The Israeli press referred to him as a foreigner, and declined to further report it as the Israeli authorities issued a "gag order" to maintain secrecy; the Arab Digest can confirm that Lallouz is Israeli and emigrated following the 1973 war, and received his PhD from the Weizmann Institute where he also worked. Lallouz was a friend of Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav. The missing link is the fact that Lallouz worked for years as a Professor Emeritus in Chemistry, but has only one publication in 1969, even before he received his PhD in Israel. Was he doing an administrative job, or working for the government, or possibly published under another name?

(Photo: the statement in Arabic)

The group that called itself "the Brigades of the martyr general Hassan Tahrani Mokadem" said that it killed Lallouz (spelled it lolaz in the Arabic statement) on last Monday, the 26th of December. "One of our operatives entered the home of a Professor in Dizengoff street in Tel Aviv, and killed him with a knife. then he burnt the house in a complex way. The mujahideen returned to their bases in peace". The statement also mentioned that "the operation comes as a first response to the assassination of Marty Hassan Tahrani Mokadem, who is an Iranian Brigadier killed in a Mossad bombing in Tehran". Mokadem was the architect of the Iranian Missile program; he was specifically responsible for the Iranian long range missile program (photo below). His assassination was a blow to Iranian missile efforts. but I think the group will claim other revenge attacks, as many Iranian scientists have been assassinated by the Israelis so far.

The Jerusalem Post had reported the following on the incident:


Firefighters responding to a call in Tel Aviv discovered the body of a 70-year-old foreign national in a burned-out apartment on Tuesday. Police investigators arrived at the scene on Dizengoff Street, and suspect the man was murdered. While this was not immediately clear, a pathologist’s report later led to suspicions that he was stabbed. Although the circumstances of the incident are not yet clear, homicide detectives believe the murderer(s) set fire to the home to cover up evidence of the crime. Police are still attempting to ascertain the man’s origins, and have so far been unable to find identifying documents in the home. He may have come from France or Switzerland, they said. (they had a follow up report here)

(Dizengoff Street where the Israeli professor was reportedly killed)




The seemingly hoax statement assassination comes amid heightened tensions between the CIA and Hezbollah after the exposure of American agents stationed in Lebanon, where they were passing information to the Israelis. (Check the Arab Digest's No Nonsense Guide to the CIA in Lebanon part I, part II & part III for the full story on the agency's operations in Beirut).




PS. The Arab Digest is looking into claims that Lallouz has an Arabic connection, mainly Casablanca, Morocco, although I feel that it is a totally different person, in spite of the age similarity. See the discussion thread here. Will keep you updated.


---
An Israeli website claimed that it was a robbery, and that the Israeli police arrested two women who were invited by Lallouz to his apartment, before they attempted to steal his house. The Israeli police also arrested two male accomplices. So basically, the 70 year old professor wanted a threesome in Tel Aviv, then he ended up murdered in a wrapped bag. Then an unknown Iranian group issues a statement in the name of an assassinated Iranian General claiming to kill the guy, and providing details. I am still in doubt.

Read More

Syrian regime arrests a son of Fathi Shaqaqi, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's historical leader

The Syrian regime arrested Ibrahim the son of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's historical leader, Fathi Shaqaqi, from the outskirts of Yarmouk camp. According to various Arabic news sources, Shaqaqi has joined an already growing number of Palestinians since the Syrian revolution has started. The anger among Palestinians in Syria, even those allied with the regime, will continue to grow after such arrests.
Shaqaqi has been a historical figure since his assassination by the Israeli Mossad in Malta in 1995; he has been a close friend to Hezbollah, and this relationship with the Islamic Jihad continued. It is expected that Hezbollah's leadership intervenes to release Shaqaqi junior, regardless of his involvement in anti-regime activity.
The Islamic Jihad is closely allied to the Syrian regime, and has some of its cadres based in Damascus. They have been dragged to prison one after the other; pressure will now increase to release them.The Syrian regime has been known for using this tactic to get public support from Palestinians, and the Jihad has been silent recently, so is it connected? Highly think so.

(the late Shaqaqi below)

Read More

Why the Gaddafis hired an Israeli lawyer?

Why did the Gaddafis appoint the Israeli lawyer Nick Kaufman?
I thought of a few answers, and here are they:

1. Their belief in Israeli/Jewish power. Aisha Gaddafi probably holds the general belief that Israeli Jews are generally powerful, and thus would be capable of helping her against the new leaders of Libya, using of course their leverage in Washington. Well, Aisha, the Israel lobby in Washington does not work that way; they have specific Israel related goals.

2. Nick Kaufman has a powerful profile as an international lawyer. He has represented Israel at the International Criminal Court, efficiently dealt with the Goldstone's report on Gaza (probably engineered his repentance). He also represented an Israeli citizen, the Bosnian Serb Aleksandar Cvetkovic, who was accused of involvement in the Srebrenica massacre, Europe's worst atrocity since World War II.

3. The political reasoning of the Gaddafis is that the Americans were behind overthrowing their father. Who is better at manipulating the U.S. and Western powers than the Israelis? I am sure the Gaddafis had this kind of reasoning when making this decision.

Read More

Syrian Jihadists draw lessons from the 1980s experience

Ten months into Syria's revolution, sectarianism killings have become a reality, whether in Homs, or abroad, while Jihadists are apparently there; rather than living in denial, one should acknowledge their existence, warn against their rise, as they represent the real danger/spoilers to Syria's revolution. They are most capable of drowning the country into a long bloody civil war if they are left unchecked and given free reign to lead the way to militarisation from Homs where the secular and moderate Islamist opposition is present and active.
Since a few months now, there have been growing similarities to the early 1980s sectarian clashes between the regime and the Fighting Vanguard, a military offshoot from the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood; the clashes and sectarian killings ended in a massacre by the regime in Hama where dozens of thousands were reportedly killed. In spite of the similarities between the two phases, some of which the regime has been keen to demonstrate, there has been "improvements" in the fighting against the regime. The fighters are now media savvy, targeting high-profile intelligence bases (the feared Mukhabarat), and garnering main stream support in the religious establishments (the Imams of Homs and Hama mosques).
All of those changes, with no exception, have been mentioned in a critical review of the 1980s conflict by a prominent Syrian Jihadist who was detained by the U.S. army (most probably, in 2006, then dispatched in a rendition flight to the Syria's security forces in 2009). To my surprise, the web page of the "media support centre for the revolutionaries of Homs" published on the 1st of October notes on the "Syrian Experience", a book by the Syrian Taleban Jihadist and theorists, Abu Musab Alsuri. (Alsuri was a major Jihadist theorist who had considerable theoretical impact on al-Qaeda tactics & had called for loading the 9/11 planes with chemical weapons).The website asked its followers to learn from the mistakes of this Jihadist who has 15-20 years of Jihad against Assad Senior, Hafez the former president and father of the incumbent, Bashar. They urge the current Jihadists to avoid the mistakes and pains of the 1980s.

(Abu Musab at his Jihadist camp in Afghanistan)

The Syrian Experience lists its "advice" to the next generation of Jihadists fighting against the regime; among those are:

1. Dependency on regional powers for weapons and training. Al-Suri calls for more independent military work.
2. Media savvy. Al-Suri recommends more media savviness among Jihadists in using the media to gain more support, and not to let any sacrifices go in vain.
3. Quality of targets and not quantity. Al-Suri asks future Jihadists to target significant regime bases, rather than wasting time in assassinating low level officials like in the 1980s.
4. Using non-Demascenes in Damascus operations. He wants more local work and activism.
5. In his Syria book, Suri calls for a more organised and central Jihad against the regime. He later called for an absolutely decentralised global Jihad through independent cells, known later as the "new leaderless al-Qaeda". Syria now has elements of both, it seems.

Many of his recommendations for the "future Jihad" have been taken either as common sense, without looking at his textbook, or actually derived from it. It is highly unlikely that the local coordination committees have anything to do with his recommendation as they include many non-Islamists. But in military operations like targeting the major and most feared military intelligence bases, and picking those rather than smaller, more local bases, there seems to be a correlation. The use of media in the Islamist "Free Syrian Army" operations is very obvious; the Free Syrian Army has been using Sectarian names to its brigades and you could see in their videos Islamist and anti-Allawite slogans.
While the Syrian Experience speaks of "War against Allawites", he acknowledges in his book "the mistakes" of going small-scale, in reference to sectarian and selective killing of Allawites. He recommends picking high-profile targets, "think big" style.
The Jihadist force in Syria is big, and you only have to look at neighbouring Iraq to understand. According to an informed Syrian journalist from Idlib, 7 thousand Iraq returnees were counted in Syria, where the regime actively supported the al-Qaeda insurgency in its Eastern neighbour to deter U.S. influence. Those ex fighters are well experienced and would lead any military confrontation with the regime; they seem to dominate the ill organised and untrained Free Syrian Army. The FSA has been choosing Islamic names for its brigades and you could see in videos posted on this blog, that Jihadists are leading the fight (they look like the Taleban).

The above facts should constitute a stark warning to major Syrian Opposition figures, whether the brotherhood, or the Secular parties like Syria's Mandela, Riyadh Turk, among others who should raise more alarms against the militarisation of the revolution. Militancy means the rise of Jihadists and the launch of a large scale and long term bloody sectarian conflict.

Read More

The Snake of Darfur is Syria's Arab League Observer!

Since the Arab League chose the Sudanese General Mohamad Ahmad Mustafa Al-Dabi to lead its observers' mission in Syria, flashes of this man's dark life have appeared in the media. The Syrian National Council (SNC) sources called him an "ex Baathist", belonging to the Sudanese branch of the ruling party in Syria; others rightly linked his appointment to his Qatar credentials, being Sudan's ambassador to Doha in 2003-4. Here is what we know about Al-Dabi:

1. He led the Sudanese campaign against the war crimes indictment of the Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. He was the General Coordinator of the Campaign against the ICC.

2. He took senior military and intelligence positions since Bashir's coup against the democratically elected government in Sudan. Clearly, Dabi is a regime loyalist.

3. He played a significant role in Darfur's conflict, at least in the mediation phase as Bashir's envoy. He was also named by a Darfur website, as one of the "wanted for the people of Darfur". Al-Dabi, whose name means snake in Arabic, and was dubbed as the snake of Darfur, was also accused of using threats during negotiations.

4. During his tenure as the military intelligence chief, torture was a common practise.

So to encapsulate the situation, the Arab League appointed an anti international justice campaigner, or a pro war crimes campaigner, to observe human rights violations! The Arab League is still infested by anti-human rights dictators.

Read More

Why Damascus hasn't joined the revolution yet! by a Damascene

By Jameela Waraka

(Damascus in the good old days; public use, no copyright)

Since the 1980's, Syria has been a relatively safe place. That is what people seem to keep talking about 'el- amaan' (which means safety in formal Arabic). The price of el-amaan though was living under the rule of Al-Assad family, some until now would not mind to pay that high price!!!
A woman (my mom's friend) residing in Damascus called and started shouting and pleading for the people abroad to stop provoking and encouraging what's going on... she said no one abroad is sending their kids to school and fearing whether they'll come back home or not... Weapons are everywhere... They're so scared it will be the next Iraq!!
In Syria, it was the only place my parents didn't mind that we play in the streets, that we run around the blocks and mingle with other neighbouring kids.... where else in the world can we do that now?
Democratic England? I'm 25 and I panic when I walk in the streets after sunset in London...
The people in Syria have become corrupt. You are in the airport and the people themselves don't know how to queue or the meaning of discipline... Are they going to understand democracy?
Some with the revolution who encouraged the 'boycott' actually went to stores that stayed open and threatened them to close and when they didn't, they destroyed the shops. They are going to understand democracy?

I don't know....Possibly...

Which country in the world is the example of democracy?

In Syria, yes we are living under the rule of murderers and people who abuse power (such as Rami Makhloof, Assad’s millionaire cousin).

However, It is one of the few countries in the world that have no debt (or a very minor one if any).
People from Lebanon and Jordan always came to shop in Syria.
Sugar is subsidized. Wheat too...
Education and Healthcare are free.
Doors were open to all the refugees, about 2 million Iraqis came to Syria since the war, and a large number of Palestinians have been living in Syria for a long time...

Yes, it's not the best in the world. Yes it needs A LOT of work.

I think the people sent the message, and maybe it is possible to step back now and see what the regime is going to do now??
I met a Christian Homsi here in Dubai and he said, we listened to Bashar's speech and we will give him a year to meet what he said, and if he doesn't then we'll make sure we get rid of him...
Maybe people should do that? Step back a little?

Believe me I hate the regime and I'm so against them and their killings but these are new thoughts to put on the table.

From the 24 million Syrians, how many went out to protest? A few hundred thousands spread out over different cities...
In Egypt over a million in EVERY major city!!!
In reality, at least 50% of Syrians, are still with the Assad regime....
A family friend encapsulated the feeling in Damascus and said ''Take whatever you want, but give me El-amaan''.

PS. Jameela is anti-regime, and so is the Arab Digest. These are thoughts from Damascus to get a new perspective on why Damascenes haven't joined the revolution yet. Of course, there are different explanations, all of which are valid, including the concentration of security services, the merchant class's alliance with the regime, and the multi confessional aspect of the capital.

Read More

Is the CIA Beirut Chief's wife the unnamed spy woman?

The wife of Dan Mcfeely, the exposed CIA chief in Beirut, was a U.S. diplomat in Iraq, where she featured in a photograph (below) with General David Petraeus, the Central Intelligence Agency's current director, and her fellow Alumnus at Princeton University. Petraeus and Mcfeely (the wife) are both Princeton university Alumnus, only two decades apart (graduated in 1987 and 2007, respectively). Hezbollah had exposed four CIA agents out of Ten, including one spy woman, Sarah Getter, but implied that there were more by saying "some are women". So is Mcfeely's wife the second CIA spy woman stationed in Beirut?

(In this 2008 photo, Mcfeely is standing to the left of General Petraeus in a Princeton Baghdad Alumni party).

The C.I.A. has been know for employing couples, husband and wife. Sometimes, and while the husband deals with the male figures, the wife keeps her eyes and ears open in parties and social meetings. In the memoirs of one "CIA wife", she states “We lied about our husband’s jobs, stalled inquisitive policemen, befriended minister’s wives, kept our ears open at parties, deflected the children’s questions, and worried in silence alone. We were the CIA wives. You never knew us”. Another CIA couple are the Baers, Dayna (a shooter!) and Robert (an operative); they have written a book called The Company We Keep on their Mr. and Mrs. Smith experiences working for the CIA). Here is a photo of both Mr. and Mrs. Mcfeely in a Lebanon Party, they were entertaining this guy:

(Her hair is different in this photo, probably trying to get a chic look in Beirut. In order to know that she's the same person, I got some help and measured different facial and body features)

Now, we have a new couple, their names came fresh from the oven, maybe raw, as Hezbollah has exposed their names two years after they arrived in Beirut. Mcfeely, as you have noticed from the photo, was based in Iraq until recently, probably 2009, when her husband became the Beirut Station's chief. (check our two part guide below for the full CIA story in Lebanon). According to a State Department Directory, Mrs. Mcfeely is also an Economic/Commercial officer in Beirut's embassy. But a Daily Star story quoted her as the Vice Consul. And then, again, in a meeting with Lebanon's army chief, Jean Ahwaji, she is described as the "Security Advisor" to the U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly.

In Baghdad, Mcfeely seems to have played a significant role. For instance, in this post on a meeting between American officials and an Iraqi Christian party, she was described as a "Political Officer" (They are usually unnamed in diplomatic cables and referred to as PO). In another post on the website of Tareq hashimi, the Iraqi Vice President, she discusses with him the release and the rehabilitation of Iraqi detainees in U.S. prisons. She is described as the "human rights officer" at the American embassy.

In a nutshell, Andrea Mcfeely is the Economic/Commercial/Vice Consul/Security Advisor/Human Rights Officer/Political Officer; this woman must be either a Swiss Knife, or a CIA agent!

PS. (For background information on Mcfeely's husband, and the whole CIA in Lebanon saga, please refer to our two part series on the agency, The no nonsense guide to the CIA in Lebanon-Part I, Part II)

Read More

Is Assad's regime behind the Damascus suicide bombings?

Today's twin suicide bombings in Damascus are reminiscent of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination in 2005; a suicide video message, alqaeda style, quickly followed. We had to wait for years to learn that it was not alQaeda, and to be reminded that authoritarian regimes' brutal intelligence services use Salafist networks for many purposes. The regime had helped for many years foster Salafist hardline networks to prop up alQaeda in Iraq through the Syrian borders. Potential suicide bombers in North Africa were flown on one way tickets to Damascus, then transferred to an alQaeda hub/hotel in Aleppo to be brainwashed and prepared for a suicide bombing mission inside Iraq. I remember doing so many interviews with American and Syrian officials analysing this route.
The bombers were not all foreign, Syria had also its Iraq volunteers. A source inside Syria, and specifically from Jebel Azzawiya in the Idlib region, where a massacre recently occurred against defectors,  informed the Arab Digest that there are 7 thousand alQaeda Iraq fighters. These fighters make the core of the anti-regime guerrilla warfare force. The Arab Digest displayed videos, in which you could clearly see that the Free Syria Army (FSA) fighters look like the Taliban or alQaeda in action. Just like in Libya, defectors joined the well trained and experienced hard line Islamists in their fight against the regime. The fighters re-organised themselves in Libya (and in Syria) along regional lines.
After Today's bombings, there are only two scenarios: either the regime did it, or the FSA/alQaeda stands behind it. One could say the regime is behind it for the following reasons:

1. Friday is a day off which means more civilians will die than security services.
2. Arab League observers just arrived in town, and such operations serve the regime's reasoning of current events, and justifies to some extent its heavy handedness.
3. Precedence. The regime has allegedly used a suicide bomber in Lebanon's Hariri assassination.
4. The FSA has denied its involvement, and accused the regime. The Syrian National Council has previously asked the FSA, and reportedly agreed with its leader Riyadh Al-Assaad, to restrict its role to protecting civilian demonstrators.
But on the other hand, there is the following supporting the anti regime FSA/Islamists involvement:

1. The Free Syrian Army was not happy with the Arab League Observers arriving in Syria. They were counting on the Arab League increasing the international and regional isolation of Syria.
2. The Islamists have a history of attacking the Security apparatuses. These events are reminiscent of the 1980s showdown with the regime.
3. There is growing anger in the conservative cities and regions, against Damascus and Aleppo for not joining the revolution. This might be a warning.
4. The FSA is not an organised force. The Islamists have a different cell-based structure and might go about such operations without consulting anyone. In Iraq, they had no political calculations whatsoever except to ruin any political process, and promote Sectarian violence.


Both are strongly supported. Still, I see the regime blamed for the bombings due to the timing, and for it being the main perpetrator in repression and violence (the stronger side in violence, and the violent one in repressing peaceful demonstrations). Also, the fact that the regime quickly accused Al-Qaeda and had a team of media people quickly reporting and analysing this, will draw more suspicions regarding its possible involvement.

According to the State media, the twin car bombings resulted in 30 deaths-100 injured, according to al-Manar TV, and targeted the General Security Directorate and "another security branch" in Damascus. Here are the SANA photos:

Read More

The No Non-Sense Guide to the CIA - Part II

The Arab Digest reveals that the CIA has been using the Retiree Activities Office (RAO) position in Lebanon, and other similar staff positions at U.S. embassies as a platform for clandestine work that includes information gathering on Hezbollah and other "unfriendly" organisations. We have compiled new information on the activities of the CIA in the Middle East, from Wikileaks and other sources. (We had already published a long account based on the information revealed by Hezbollah on the agency's activity in Lebanon All - of which have been documented in part I of our series).

The Arab Digest has examined a large number of Embassy cables, and have found one, in which Louis Kahi, named by Hezbollah as the former CIA station chief in Beirut (till 2009), uses the acronym RAO as an official title (Michel Sasson, the ambassodor is the CDA, Charge D'Affaires. For an incomplete list of acronyms used by the embassies, click here).
According to its website, the Retiree Activities Office (RAO) "provides current information and assistance to military retirees, their dependents and survivors who reside in the local RAO area of responsibility and coordinates retiree volunteer assistance to many base organizations". I am not sure if they would be happy about that.

The Wikileaks cable has provided the following information on Kahi:

"Louis Kahi ---------- RAO Office 961-4-544-260 4204 Mobile 961-3-228-860" (I haven't tried the number yet, why don't you and let me know what happens:)

I am wondering how many U.S. military retirees live in Lebanon. Of course, none! Has the CIA run out of imagination to use a defunct title for its operatives?

Chuck Iisenbee

(Chuck is in his early 40s; he finished high school at T.C. Roberson at 1990, here is his cheesy re-union video)
A series of Wikileaks cables from the Khartoum embassy where Chuck Lisenbee worked under the title RSO (Regional Security Officer); he has been in this position since 1997. The U.S. embassy in India states that "the RSO office is comprised of a number of elements, including Special Agents of the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, a team of investigators, a Residential Security Coordinator, an ID Unit, a uniformed guard force, the Marine Security Guard Detachment, and bodyguards".

According to a Khartoum diplomatic Cable, the U.S. embassy team that included Lisenbee, worked on establishing a U.S. platform in Darfur for Aid and "other purposes" including buying influence and "project USG policy and political influence into this conflict zone that threatens regional stability":

"During January 10-12, a USG team travelled to Nyala and El Fasher, Darfur. The team consisted of RSO Chuck Lisenbee, USAID's Chief of Overseas Management Services Beth Salamanca, USAID Sudan Construction Manager Bill Cherry, and USAID/OFDA Sudan Country Representative Sureka Khandagle. The primary purpose of this visit was to develop a plan that would immediately move forward the development/construction of a USG Darfur platform. The team assessed current USAID and Embassy facilities, identified an interim facility in El Fasher for further review and development, and identified land in El Fasher suitable for a more robust, long-term platform. Following this assessment, the country team received a briefing on next steps. ¶4. On January 14, the USAID Mission Director, OFDA Country Representative and USAID EXO met with the DCM, RSO and Management Officer to develop a 90-day plan for moving the Darfur platform forward. The immediate objective of the 90-day plan is to allow (a) consistent oversight and management of USAID's $500 million dollar humanitarian program in Darfur; (b) project USG policy and political influence into this conflict zone that threatens regional stability; and (c) establish a more secure base of operations for further platform development".

Another Lisenbee Cable showed Security Profile Questions on Sudan. Lots of information there, which tells you about the nature of his work, but I found this bit interesting:


"D. Are the intelligence services professional and capable of deterring terrorist actions? Yes, The Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) in Southern Sudan is made up of 90% Southerners and 10% Northerners. It is the only post-CPA institution in the South and coordinates border control efforts with other related security agencies in the South with NISS efforts in the North. Particular effort is exerted on following Somali extremists into Sudan and their activities in the South. E. Have the intelligence services been cooperative with U.S. Embassy requests for information and support? Yes, NISS has reached out to the USG for support in its efforts to monitor borders and has offered up information on extremist activities upon request. F. Assuming there have been significant terrorist threats in recent years, have host country security services been able to score any major anti-terrorism successes? Yes, but this information is sensitive and compartmented"
(Sensitive and compartmented? Now, we know what that means: "Check back with Langley. Best, Chuck").

Lisenbee's work on Hezbollah goes way before his Lebanon posting. In Khartoum, where he was giving assessments of local security capabilities and its cooperation, Lisenbee provided information on Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad activity in Sudan. Notice this bit: "Hizbollah: There may be Hizbollah fundraising and support activities in Sudan, but we have no knowledge of operational activities"


A similar Lisenbee Cable provides details about anti-American demonstrations in Sudan.

In this cable, he has an email address and phone numbers, I wonder whether they still work. In another cable, Lisenbee deals with a phone threat to the U.S. embassy in Khartoum. Very interesting read there.

Chuck Lisenbee was stationed in Tanzania, where there was no mention of him. Remember in 1998, the U.S. embassy was bombed, and I figure he served there in the aftermath. According to a Peace Corp Volunteer who lived in Tanzania during Chuck Lisenbee's service there, the latter had a "crazy American-style house" and that it contained "strange electronic gadgets". This friend of Chuck posted a gallery of photos about his trips to Tanzania, we do not have permission to publish them, but our favourites are him killing a chicken and his two friends messing with Lesenbee's equipment (remote controls, electronic gadgets).

Below is a photo of two American volunteers at Lisenbee's Tanzania's house, they're playing with his gadgets:

(This post will be constantly updated as soon as we have more information).

Here is a third episode of our CIA in Lebanon series:

http://www.thearabdigest.com/2011/12/cia-beirut-chiefs-wife-aide-to-petraeus.html

And a Fourth one on Lisenbee:

http://www.thearabdigest.com/2012/01/chuck-lisenbee-story-of-ashevillian-cia.html

Read More

The No Non-Sense Guide to the CIA - Part II

The Arab Digest has compiled new information on the activities of the CIA in the Middle East, based on the information revealed by Hezbollah on the agency's activity in Lebanon (All of which have been documented in part I of our series). The CIA has been using the Retiree Activities Office (RAO) in Lebanon, and other similar staff position at U.S. embassies as a platform for clandestine work that includes information gathering on Hezbollah and other "unfriendly" organisations.
The Arab Digest has examined a large number of Embassy cables, and have found one, in which Louis Kahi, named by Hezbollah as the former CIA station chief in Beirut (till 2009), uses the acronym RAO as an official title (Michel Sasson, the ambassodor is the CDA, Charge D'Affaires. For an incomplete list of acronyms used by the embassies, click here).
According to its website, the Retiree Activities Office (RAO) "provides current information and assistance to military retirees, their dependents and survivors who reside in the local RAO area of responsibility and coordinates retiree volunteer assistance to many base organizations". The Wikileaks cable has provided the following information on Kahi:

"Louis Kahi ---------- RAO Office 961-4-544-260 4204 Mobile 961-3-228-860" (I haven't tried the number yet, why don't you and let me know what happens:)

I am wondering how many U.S. military retirees live in Lebanon. Of course, none! Has the CIA run out of imagination to use a defunct title for its operatives?

Chuck Iisendee

A series of Wikileaks cables from the Khartoum embassy where Chuck Lisendee

Read More

John Redwine, Obituary

The Arab Digest has received many emails and messages from John's friends, especially that it was the first outlet to report his tragic death extensively. While we expect more to come, here is one sent by a close friend who asked to remain anonymous:

John Newland Redwine, II, age 33, of Beirut, Lebanon, formerly from Sioux City, IA died Sunday, December 18 doing what he loved, alpine climbing in the Lebanon Mountains.
John was born on June 13, 1978 in Kansas City, MO to Dr. John and Barbara Redwine when his father was in his senior year of medical school. The family moved to Sioux City, IA where his father completed a residency in family medicine and established a family practice in Morningside. John attended Clark Grade School, Hoover Middle School, and he graduated from Sioux City North High School in 1996. Between earning two bachelor’s degrees at the University of Montana and a masters degree at the American University of Beirut, he studied for two years at the Arabic Language Institute in Fez, Morocco and was fluent in both spoken and written Arabic. John served in many capacities as an independent public relations and communications professional. At the time of his death, he was the communications officer and editor on a regional cooperation project on water issues for the United Nations Regional Economic and Social Development Commission in Western Asia and the German Federal Institute for Geo-Science and Natural Resources in Beirut. He also had served as a freelance producer and journalist at Fox News, project director at Albany Associates, managing editor at Executive Magazine, Analyst and Copy Editor at The Middle East Reporter, and desk editor at ABC News. He recently helped organize the very successful Banff Mountain Film Festival Beirut. John had many publications in political, governmental, and professional journals and was well respected by his peers. In their leisure time, John and his wife, Irina enjoyed mountain climbing, motorcycling, camping, and entertaining their many friends across the Middle East and the world. He was a skilled alpinist and big-wall climber. He climbed extensively in Yosemite and Zion National Parks, climbed the nose on El Capitan, 6 of the 7 Grand Tetons in one day, on-sited classic routes in Stanage, Mont Blanc and Wadi Rum and established new routes in Morocco, Lebanon and many other countries. John took great pride in introducing others to climbing and worked at building the capacity of the climbing community in Lebanon. Two months ago, John and Irina welcomed their first child into the world, Winston Prentice Redwine. Irina and he survive, as do John’s parents, Dr. John and Barbara Redwine of Rogers, AR, his two brothers William Redwine and his wife Brooke of Sioux City, IA, and Adam Redwine and his close friend Aliya Gordon of Augusta, GA, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Services will be in held Beirut, Lebanon on Friday, December 23 and in Sioux City, IA on Tuesday, December 27. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery in Sioux City.



Read More

John Redwine, American citizen, Fox News Journalist found dead in Lebanon mountains

John Redwine, a 33 year old Beirut-Based American citizen from Sioux Falls (Iowa), was found dead in Sannin Mountainous area, Northern Beirut. He was reported as "missing" over the weekend, and an American Embassy team joined the Lebanese military in their search efforts. Approximately 100 personnel from both the Lebanese Army and the Internal Security Forces (ISF) participated in the search operation.They used two helicopters and trained search dogs in their search efforts. "Teams said the man they had found appeared to have fallen to his death", reported the Daily Star. The Arab Digest spoke to a number of Redwine's friends, he was surely an avid climber who would usually take some risks and might have really fallen into his own death. His friends recall "a great friend, husband and father", and they praised his great command of the Arabic language. (Alarabiya reported that his body and face were deformed, and that he was murdered. But a Red Cross official who was at the scene told the German News Agency that Redwine fell and broke his neck. Security officials also confirmed that his death was an accident).
The Sannin region where Redwine was found dead, is known for its strategic importance due to the high altitude. One year ago, the Lebanese military discovered and dismantled two high tech Israeli spy devices in Sannine (probably notified of their presence by Hezbollah); Hezbollah was also criticized by Christian MP Sami Gemayel for maintaining military and security presence in the Sannine region. Nevertheless, Andrew North, a BBC journalist, and a friend of John, told the Arab Digest, that he skied with Redwine on the Sannine mountain after climbing many times. So it is sure that John did this many times to practise his favourite sport.
"Shortly before the discovery of the body after midday Tuesday, Redwine’s Silver Volkswagen was found nearby to the popular mountains. Redwine's wife, Irina, sounded distraught when contacted by The Daily Star on her husband’s disappearance and said she did not wish to talk to the media. According to the security sources, Mrs. Redwine arrived in Lebanon from Morocco Monday after she lost contact with her husband on Dec. 17. The wife contacted the U.S. Embassy about the case after she arrived in the country, the sources added". They found his car close to the area where his body laid "in a wide hole" near the Beskinta mountains in the Northern Metn province. He used to walk in that mountainous region.

He was a Hezbollah expert, and had good connections to the conservative media in the United States. The Arab Digest learned that Redwine works with Albany Associates which is directed by a former NATO spokesperson and works with the United Nations (ESCWA. A UNIFIL spokesman denied that Redwine did work for them).
John graduated from the American University in Beirut where he earned a Masters degree in Middle East Studies; he is an annual contributor to the AUB, though in small amounts. While he took different Lebanon jobs during the past 5 years, his latest post was a freelancer for Fox News (I only found one report he did from Tripoli, Libya where he spoke to Gaddafi's spokesperson Moussa Ibrahim). Redwine also worked for Albany Associates who has among its clients' list various international agencies, especially the U.S. Department of State and the Pentagon (also the U.K. government). Simon Haselock, Albany's director, was NATO spokesman in Sarajevo during the American intervention there. The Lebanese Daily Star, however, reported that Redwine "worked for the Beirut office of BGR, a German federal institute for geosciences and natural resources that has been cooperating with the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) since 1992".

He is good friends with the Western community in Lebanon, which includes journalists, and his mates on Facebook are mostly graduates from prestigious universities. His death, though apparently a hiking accident, comes amid heightened tensions between the CIA and Hezbollah after the exposure of American agents stationed in Lebanon, where they were passing information to the Israelis. (Check the Arab Digest's No Nonsense Guide to the CIA in Lebanon part I, part II & part III for the full story on the agency's operations in Beirut).

Lebanese Al-Liwaa newspaper asked today "Has the war on the ESCWA begun after previously receiving threats?". The newspaper cited that Redwine's deformed face and body show he's murdered. This is of course disputed by the various reports and statements by the security services in Lebanon, all of which refer to possible wild animals' attacks in the days following his disappearance. Other reports, however, cited that he was with friends who lost track of him in the mountain (weird, who are they? if true of course).

Below is what the American University in Beirut said about Redwine:

John Redwine received a BA in History from the University of Montana. He joined CAMES in 2004 and received and his MA in February 2008. While completing his master’s degree at CAMES, he worked freelance as a copy editor for The Middle East Reporter. During the July 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon, he worked as an Arabic interpreter for ABC News, and also he also managed ABC’s news desk for part of that conflict. Following the war, he worked as a press officer in south Lebanon for the aid organization International Medical Corps. His thesis, “Hizbullah’s Political Capital and the July War”, was largely informed by these experiences. After graduating, John worked as a staff writer for the English language, pan-Arab business publication, Executive Magazine in which he headed the editorial department before leaving to join the UK-based consulting firm Albany Associates. John is currently Project Director for Albany Associates’ consultancy to the Government of Lebanon.
The American University in Beirut forgot to mention that Albany Associates also handles UNIFIL forces' PR; the French forces under UNIFIL have recently been attacked due to Paris's growing role in Syria.
He also has a Twitter account in which he calls himself an "Independent public relations and communications professional based in Beirut, Lebanon with over a decade of experience in the Middle East and fluent Arabic"

In spite of the timing, the location, the Hezbollah connection, it is very nasty for anyone to suggest that he is a CIA agent; this young man was simply interested in the Middle East, and that is it for now. Hezbollah had mentioned that the CIA network included journalists, among many other professionals, but the CIA is banned from hiring journalists. (Redwine called himself an "Independent public relations and communications professional based in Beirut, Lebanon with over a decade of experience in the Middle East and fluent Arabic").

(John Redwine in an interview on Syria).


Andrew Exum, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), also a friend of Redwine wrote the following for the Arab Digest:

John was an experienced and avid climber, so while I am saddened by his death, I am not suspicious of the circumstances. John had some of the best Arabic you have ever heard on a westerner. His FusHa was excellent, as was his Lebanese amiyyeh. (He spoke pretty good Moroccan as well.) John was simply one of the nicest, most humble men I have ever known. He and his wife Irina just had a son a few months ago.

He also wrote a longer tribute on his blog, in which he spoke of their days in the Middle East.

Here is another tribute from his brother Adam:

If you're reading this you are probably aware that my brother John's body was found today in the mountains around Beirut. I appreciate all of the sympathies though I'm sure that for the moment this is hardest on his wife Irina and my parents. No parent should have to bury their child, but some do.Over time, however, John's decision to go climbing that day, and the consequences of that decision, will have a profound impact on his now two-month old son Winston. (Also check Adam's comment below)

John Redwine is also the son of former Iowa Republican Senator John Redwine Sr. (One of his contributions to the AUB was in honour of his father).

Also, in the Arab Digest, a tribute by John's brother, Adam Redwine:

My brother John Redwine, the mountain climber, the Arabist...

Read More

North Korea's new leader a big fan of the NBA and Michael Jordan!

Kim Jong-Un, North Korea's new leader, and successor of Kim Jong Il, is reportedly a big fan of the NBA and Michael Jordan. One of his former classmates in Switzerland, where he attended the English-language International School of Berne, said that Kim also met and even had pictures taken with Kobe Bryant and Toni Kukoč. He is only 27 years old; experts have no doubt that the Western-educated computer science graduate will most likely be over-run by generals in the decision making processes. The generals are widely known to be very conservative and unlikely to engage with the West on any front.

(Photo: Kim Jong Un, and Michael Jordan)

Read More

A Syrian dissident calls for the ethnic cleansing of minorities!

Rhetoric in Syria's revolution took a dangerous Sectarian shift with former Syrian MP and opposition activist Mamoun Homsi, 56, making ethnic cleansing threats against minorities. He clearly stated that in Syria, "there will be no minorities", and called for the obliteration of the ruling Allawite community. The Arab Digest has transcribed and translated this video:

"I salute the heroic Syrian People, I salute the heroes of Syria, the Sunnis of Syria. I salute you men defending your country and religion. After today, you despicable Allawites, either you disassociate yourselves from Assad, or Syria will be your graveyard. Enough with your killing of Sunnis, we will not be silent after today. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and the initiator is the aggressor.
After today, there will be no more minorities. I swear, if you (Allawites) do not disassociate yourselves from this gang and these killings, we will teach you a lesson that you will not forget. We will wipe you off from Syria and its land.
Enough, ten months of killing women and children ... today, Homs, Hama, and Deir el Zour are wounded. We will not be silent after today. The whole world will exile you. We will make Syria a graveyard for Allawites if they did not stop killing. Long live Syria and down with political Shiism ... you will know who Sunnis are after today".

Homsi descends from Homs which has witnessed increasing sectarian killings in past months.

On the other hand, opposition leaders have started their negative responses to Homsi's statements on Syria. Yassin Al Haj Saleh, the Leftist intellectual and dissident who spend 17 years in Assad's prisons, said on his Facebook page: "I haven't seen and I will not try to see what Mamoun Homsi said. But the little I know about him is enough to allow me to wish him for my enemies". Poet Faraj Bayrakdar, who also descends from Homs, requested an apology from Homsi, or otherwise "never get in touch again".

Read More

Another video of the Free Syrian Army: spotting the Taliban types!

Another video of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) shows their Islamist leaning. They really look like Libya's rebels, many of them are Islamists with the common Islamist fighter look. Others are just local, or regional fighters, tribal, ideological, or just freedom seeking opposition. But it seems Syria's rebels are more Islamic, and many of them are ex al-Qaeda fighters. A source from the Jebel Zawiya rebellious region, where this video was shot, told the Arab Digest that there are up to 7 thousand Syrian returnees from the War in Iraq where they fought alongside al-Qaeda in its bloody war against the Americans, Shiites and their Sunni allies.

Read More

Saudi Arabia: 42 Christians Arrested ... for praying!

They were arrested for praying in secret in Saudi Arabia where non-Wahhabi practises are punishable by law.

Read More

Police brutality in Egypt: A graphic video!

This is a video of recent brutality by the nasty Egyptian police. Look at this woman demonstrator beaten up by the police who insisted on stripping her and breaking her bones. What a nasty regime in Egypt, down with SCAF!

Read More

The Free Syrian Army in Action: They look like the Taliban!

And finally, we have a footage of the Free Syrian Army, and I tell you this: they look like the Taliban! One of the main fighters wears a Turban and has a long beard; he looks like an Afghan fighter. The fighters look very religious, conservative, like most Syrians; but the main fighter is a bit exceptional in his dress. I am not a fan of militarising the Syrian revolution, it offers an exit to the Syrian regime through showing Islamists like this guy in charge. Check the video here. (Telegraph)

Here is another footage obtained by the Associated press showing the FSA "in action", you could spot another Taliban type in the video, getting out of the hospital. And you also spot one of them arresting a civilian and searching him, not very nice people I must say. They were screaming at him and dragging him. They reminded me of the Syrian regime.

In other, more cheerful news on Syria, The National Syrian Council (NSC) is holding its congress in Tunisia. (photo: Ghalioun meets Tunisia's new President Muncef Marzouqi):

It is clear the SNC is trying to contain the FSA and stop them from turning the revolution into a violence and Sectarian fiasco. They want to restrict their action to defending civilians and demonstrators rather than attacking government position and launching revenge attacks. Here is an excerpt from a BBC report:

Earlier this month, the SNC said it had agreed to co-ordinate action with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), largely made up of renegade soldiers.

The council said the FSA had agreed to reduce attacks on government forces.

Read More

Burning Oil to Keep Cool: The Hidden Energy Crisis in Saudi Arabia

A Chatham House report on the hidden Oil crisis in Saudi Arabia due to high domestic demand. From the Summary:

Domestic energy demand growth in Saudi Arabia is cause for international concern. If it continues at the current rate, it could jeopardize the country's ability to stabilize world oil markets.

Given Saudi Arabia's level of dependence on oil revenues, excessive consumption will cause economic and social pressures long before oil exports end – within a decade if nothing changes.

Current policies are not enough. Planned additions of renewable power supply would help maintain the fiscal balance for an additional two to three years; given the lead times nuclear power would have little or no impact.

Read More

Mapping Saudi Arabia's Counter Revolution in Yemen

Tawakol Kerman, the Yemeni activist, Nobel Laureate and Presidential candidate joined the growing chorus of condemning Saudi Arabia's negative role in her home country.

(photo: Tawakol Karman receiving her prize)
King Abd al-Aziz ibn-Saud (1876-1953), the father of Saudi Arabia, reportedly said on his deathbed: “the good or evil for us will come from Yemen.” This statement summarizes the strategic importance of Yemen to both Saudi Arabia, and its ageing royal family, the House of Saud. Since the Yemeni revolution started in February, and began gradually to disintegrate the Western and Saudi backed President, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Unlike his counterparts in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, Saleh resisted local pressure and enjoyed firmer support by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Of course Egypt's Mubarak had similar support from his regional and international partners, but the Egyptian army was in fact a good replacement and would safeguard the peace accord with Israel (so Washington ditched Mubarak before it was too late).

To understand the Saudi role in containing Yemen's revolution, one has to look at the history behind it; Yemen is the one of the few instances where Saudi Arabia militarily intervened (and that says a lot). Decades before the "Arab Revolutions", Saudi Arabia's main threat came from Pan-Arabism, namely the charismatic Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser. Nasser supported a military coup against the then Saudi-backed ruling family in Yemen, led by Imam Muhammad al-Badr. al-Badr started a military campaign from North Yemen to defend his rule; he enjoyed the full support of Saudi Arabia. The Egyptian army was deployed in South Yemen; the civil war turned into a Saudi-Egyptian confrontation. The war lasted from 1962 to 1970 and ended with the division of Yemen. The main threat to Saudi Arabia came from the Republican approach of the 1962 military coup; it was against monarchy, and the house of Saud feared that it might influence the ranks of Saudi Arabia's army.

Another more recent threat that is worth looking at is Saudi Arabia's involvement in the Shiite Houthi rebellion (in Sa'da region, North Yemen) which later spilled into its own borders. The Houthi rebellion in 2009 was particularly sensitive, as their region is close to Nijran in NorthWestern KSA, and where the Shiite Ismaili and Zaidi minorities reside. One need not remind of the lack of any minority rights in Saudi Arabia (Shiite minorities are barely considered human in this Salafist Kingdom). Saudi Arabia's army ended its first military involvement in Yemen since 1970.

Today's revolution is no different, as it poses another existential threat to Saudi Arabia's royal family. If Yemen turns into a successful democracy, Saudi Arabia's royal family is in danger again. The links between both countries are more than strong, and range from cross border tribal relations to the more cultural and historical factors. This is why Riyadh is working hard to stop this country's uprising from becoming successful, and it is employing a major tool that is proving effective in a poor and largely tribal country: money. Saudi Arabia provides monthly "salaries" to tribal chiefs, religious and military leaders to buy their loyalty and support. This web of loyalty helps them weave their counter revolution strategy in Yemen.

According to Yemeni sources who have spoken to the Arab Digest, Saudi Arabia played a crucial role in helping Saleh survive the disintegration of his army and regime. Through their patronage network, the Saudi regime managed to pull strings and convince senior members of Saleh's regime and military to reconsider their positions or end their hesitation in supporting the crumbling regime in Sanaa. Riyadh played a crucial role in sparing Saleh increasing international pressure through a GCC initiative which helped buy him plenty of time. Actually, the GCC initiative bought him enough time to recover from wounds he suffered in an assassination attempt, and to gain enough leverage to keep his family members in key positions in the transitional phase and beyond. A recent Chatham House reported stated:

Saudi Arabia maintains extensive transnational patronage networks in Yemen. Many Yemenis believe it is trying to influence the outcome of political change and that succession dynamics within the Saudi royal family are affecting the calculations of Yemeni political actors.

Tawakol Kerman's statement on Saudi Arabia's negative role in Yemen, shows how much Yemenis are worried about Riyadh's future spoiler role, and the use of its patronage network to destroy the Yemeni youth's aspirations and longing for a better future.

(Photo: the Saudi King embraces Saleh)

Read More

The Free Syrian Army kills 27, Washington promotes defections

While Syrian activists announced that the Free Syrian Army killed 27 from the army and security services in Deraa, Southern Syria, Washington signalled that it is using the Human Rights Watch name and shame report to split the Syrian army by offering amnesty to those who defect early. Here is the State Department "Syria man" statement, read between the lines:


The State Department official, Frederic Hof, told Congress on Wednesday that Assad's repression may allow him to hang on to power but only for a short time.
"Our view is that this regime is the equivalent of dead man walking," said Hof, the State Department's pointman on Syria, which he said was turning into "Pyongyang in the Levant," a reference to the North Korean capital. He said it was difficult to determine how much time Assad has left in power but stressed "I do not see this regime surviving."

In an apparent bid to promote defections, Hof warned Syrian troops and Assad's top aides that Assad may be setting them up for possible war crimes or criminal charges by claiming in an interview with ABC News last week that the army was not his to command.
"It's difficult to imagine a more craven disclaimer of responsibility," Hof told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "Perhaps it is a rehearsal for the time when accountability will come."

Read More

Naming and Shaming Syria's War Criminals

Human Rights Watch drew a thick red line in Syria's conflict by naming and shaming 74 Syrian Officers and Officials implicated in War Crimes against civilians. Based on testimonies by 60 army defectors, HRW issued this 94 page report, which is a detailed and depressing read. The report's summary could be read here; the Syrian regime undoubtedly committed crimes against humanity in Syria.

(Photo below: the report's cover page)

Read More

The Bible is more violent than the Quran, according to an American expert

"The Islamic scriptures in the Quran were actually far less bloody and less violent than those in the Bible," Jenkins says.
Jenkins is a professor at Penn State University and author of two books dealing with the issue: the recently published Jesus Wars, and Dark Passages , which has not been published but is already drawing controversy.
Violence in the Quran, he and others say, is largely a defense against attack.
"By the standards of the time, which is the 7th century A.D., the laws of war that are laid down by the Quran are actually reasonably humane," he says. "Then we turn to the Bible, and we actually find something that is for many people a real surprise. There is a specific kind of warfare laid down in the Bible which we can only call genocide."

Read More

The CIA threatens to crash Lebanon's economy

Days after Hezbollah dealt a blow to the CIA in Lebanon, The agency responded through a dodgy New York Times report, in which they passed a message to Hezbollah and Lebanon, that they hold the keys to their country's economy, or in other words, they could crash it anytime. Here is an analysis of the article, and the hidden CIA message:

I am no intelligence expert that is for sure. But when a state approaches an award winning journalist like "JO BECKER" or a newspaper like the New York Times, and allows it clear and unprecedented access to secret information, undercover agents, anonymous government officials, there is more to the story than that. I think Jo should have dug deeper into the politics surrounding the information she received in this article. The following two reasons would have alarmed any journalist, let alone an experienced and award winning one like Becker:

1. The TIMING: On last Friday night, Hezbollah exposed the CIA network working in Lebanon, they exposed names, local methods and agents. A few days later, the Central Intelligence Agency responds through a well-known journalist. What a scam! I am not saying that Becker should have dodged the story, but that she took a deeper look into the work of things. She mentioned in the article that:

"Certainly the United States had ample cause to want to dirty up Hezbollah, Iran’s armed proxy and a persistent irritant to American interests in a chronically troubled region. (Just last week, in fact, Hezbollah’s long-running feud with the Central Intelligence Agency heated up when the organization broadcast what it said were the names of 10 American spies who had worked in recent years at the embassy in Beirut. )"

2. The ACCESS. She received great government access. This stirs suspicions.


I think the CIA sent a clear message to Hezbollah through this journalist, which is very direct in her concluding sentence, that
"In fact, as Treasury officials acknowledge, on Mr. Salameh’s watch, most of the accounts were simply transferred to several other Lebanese banks".

In other words, the CIA says to Hezbollah: We hold the keys to crashing Lebanon's economy. Unfortunately, this is true. Unlike in Iran's case, the U.S. does not need to rally its international partners or the Security Council's reluctant members. What they need is a simple U.S. decision to impose Treasury sanctions on Lebanon's banking sector. Then, the story is over. Thank you Jo Becker for acting as the CIA mail woman. I will definitely keep an eye on what you have to say next.
(By the way, the Arab Digest loves exposing Hezbollah's hypocrisy, look at the archive. But this is beyond that, it is about the U.S. destroying another Arab country in the Middle East, after Iraq).

(Becker, from the Pulitzer Prize website)

Read More