Lebanese officials say CIA warned them of imminent al Qaida attack on Hezbollah

[Jesus Malverde]

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency warned Lebanese officials last week that al Qaida-linked groups are planning a campaign of bombings that will target Beirut’s Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs as well as other political targets associated with the group or its allies in Syria, Lebanese officials said Monday.

The unusual warning – U.S. government officials are barred from directly contacting Hezbollah, which the U.S. has designated an international terrorist organization – was passed from the CIA’s Beirut station chief to several Lebanese security and intelligence officials in a meeting late last week with the understanding that it would be passed to Hezbollah, Lebanese officials said.

Hezbollah officials acknowledged the warning and took steps to tighten security in the southern suburbs that are known locally as Dahiya.

“Yes, a warning came from the CIA,” said a Hezbollah internal security commander who spoke on the condition that he not be identified because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. “They passed us this information through the mukhabarat (military intelligence), but we had our own information about the bombs.”

One Lebanese official who was at the meeting said the CIA warning included evidence that was “very convincing and scary” because it was so specific. The evidence included phone intercepts and very detailed information on a number of cells operating along Lebanon’s border with Syria, as well as inside Beirut itself.

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/15/196755/lebanese-officials-say-cia-warned.html

[geek tragedy]

1. two questions:

1) Why did the CIA do this?

2) Suppose Lebanon is complaining about the NSA program?

[hack89]

3. America does not want Lebanon destabilized anymore than it is right now. nt

[Jesus Malverde]

4. speculation from the article

Residents of the area said they were taken aback by reports that the CIA had warned Hezbollah of a planned attack.

“We all think that the (Syrian rebels) are al Qaida and backed by the CIA and Israel,” said Abu Ibrahim, a 53-year-old day laborer from Haret Hriek, which hosts Hezbollah’s main complex of offices and homes for officials. “So why would they help us? Maybe they’re realizing how crazy their friends in Syria are.”

The Hezbollah commander said he thought the warning was more pragmatic.

“The Americans are starting to realize how bad their friends in Syria are, so they’re trying to get out of this mistake,” he said. “They also think that if a bomb goes off in Dahiya, we will blame America and target Americans in Lebanon. That will never happen, but they’re scared of this monster they created.”’

“America might hate the NSA right now, but they were able to actually hear the calls and warn us what was said,” the official said.

A security contractor familiar with the capabilities of the Lebanese intelligence services said it was likely that the targets had used voice-over-Internet software that the Lebanese services lack the equipment and expertise to decrypt but that poses few problems for the Americans.

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/15/196755/lebanese-officials-say-cia-warned.html

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Strange days, indeed.

We are helping one of our biggest boogeymen (Hezbollah) fend off attacks from our other biggest boogeyman (Al Qaeda), while Hezbollah helps Assad beat back the rebels we are supporting. My head hurts.

[Igel]

5. Not bad PR.

Helps to avoid destabilizing Lebanon.

On the other hand, it's not just good PR among Arabs, it's moral. Political targets may be saved, but AQ tends to bomb markets and public areas just to kill the takfiriyoun.

It also helps produce perhaps a bit of cognitive dissonance. We don't hate the Hizbollati people; we hate their actions and the beliefs that produce those actions. (Sounds positively preachy, doesn't it? And I guess you can't really form a nice adjective from Hezbollah, can you?)

At the same time, if they know there are going to be bombings, perhaps God's Party will keep an eye out and nab some of the AQ people doing the bomb planting.

Yeah, it helps Hezbollah but also hurts them by countermanding some of their PR. But it helps the US, it helps Lebanese people, it's a mitzvah, and it might hurt AQ. While not perfect, it's not just horrible.

[East Coast Pirate]

6. Terrorist on terrorist.