LAF CLASHES WITH PALESTINIANS IN BIQA'

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 002782

D FOR BARRY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2012
TAGS: PTER MOPS PGOV LE KPAL
SUBJECT: LAF CLASHES WITH PALESTINIANS IN BIQA'

CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR VINCENT M. BATTLE; REASONS 1.5 (B),(D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: THE LEBANESE ARMED FORCES (LAF) EXCHANGED
FIRE WITH PALESTINIANS NEAR BAALBECK THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER
4 DURING AN ARMS SEIZURE OPERATION AGAINST AN "ABU NIDAL
ORGANIZATION (ANO) ARMS DEPOT" LOCATED JUST OUTSIDE THE
AL-GALIL PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMP IN THE BIQA. ONE LAF
SOLDIER AND THREE PALESTINIANS WERE KILLED. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) ACCORDING TO PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR WASSEF SERHAN, EARLY
ON SEPTEMBER 4 THE LAF RAIDED AN ANO WEAPONS CACHE NEAR THE
AL-GALIL PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMP, LOCATED ON THE OUTSKIRTS
OF BAALBECK IN THE BIQA' VALLEY. SARHAN CLAIMED THAT AS THE
LAF DEPARTED THE SCENE WITH CONFISCATED ARMS, A CROWD OF
PALESTINIANS FORMED AND BEGAN TO THROW STONES. ARMED
ELEMENTS WITHIN THE CROWD THEN FIRED ON THE LAF, WHICH
RETURNED FIRE, RESULTING IN THE DEATHS OF ONE SOLDIER AND TWO
PALESTINIANS. SARHAN SAID THE LAF DID NOT ENTER THE AL-GALIL
CAMP DURING THE OPERATION.


3. (C) DOUREID YAGHI, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE PROGRESSIVE
SOCIALIST PARTY FROM BAALBECK, CONFIRMED THIS ACCOUNT. HE
SAID THE LAF UNIT RAIDED A FATAH REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL (ANO)
WAREHOUSE, CONFISCATING A TRUCKLOAD OF WEAPONRY AND
AMMUNITION. THE LAF UNIT THEN CAME UNDER FIRE AS IT WAS
LEAVING THE WAREHOUSE. ONE SOLDIER WAS KILLED AND TWO WERE
WOUNDED, WHILE TWO PALESTINIANS WERE KILLED AND 16 WERE
WOUNDED. YAGHI ALSO REPORTED THAT THE LAF SENT ABOUT 1000
TROOPS, WITH TANKS AND APCS, TO ENCIRCLE THE CAMP. OTHER
SOURCES REPORTED THAT THE MAIN ROAD INTO BAALBECK WAS CLOSED
BY THE LAF IN THE COURSE OF THE OPERATION.


4. (U) LOCAL TELEVISION COVERAGE SHOWED PALESTINIANS
THROWING STONES AND BLOCKING ROADS WITH BURNING TIRES TO
PREVENT THE LAF FROM ENTERING THE AL-GALIL CAMP. INTERIOR
MINISTER ELIAS MURR, VISITING THE BIQA' THE SAME DAY TO VIEW
GOL DRUG ERADICATION EFFORTS, REPORTEDLY HELD AN EMERGENCY
MEETING IN THE NEARBY TOWN OF ZAHLE. MURR INDICATED TO THE
PRESS THAT THE GOL WILL TIGHTEN MEASURES AGAINST THE CAMP IF
THE KILLER OF THE LAF SOLDIER IS NOT TURNED OVER TO THE GOL.


5. (C) COMMENT: WHILE MURR'S COMMENTS REFLECT SHADES OF
THE LAF KILLINGS AND HANDOVER OF SUNNI EXTREMIST ABU OBEIDA
FROM THE AIN EL-HILWEH CAMP IN JULY, THE TWO INCIDENTS ARE
NOT LIKELY RELATED. FOLLOWING THE ABU OBEIDA HANDOVER,
HOWEVER, THE GOL HAS GROWN INCREASINGLY BOLDER IN ITS EFFORTS
TO DEAL WITH WHAT IT CONSIDERS TO BE FUGITIVES AND DANGEROUS
ELEMENTS IN/AROUND LEBANON'S PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMPS.
STILL, THE LAF HAS NOT CROSSED THE LINE AND ENTERED
PALESTINIAN CAMPS, WHICH HAVE LONG BEEN NO-GO AREAS FOR THE
GOL. THE AL-GALIL CAMP IS RELATIVELY SMALL, WITH ONLY A FEW
THOUSAND RESIDENTS, AND HAS NOT PRESENTED THE SAME DEGREE OF
LAWLESSNESS AND CONCERN AS AIN EL-HILWEH (RESIDENT POPULATION
OF APPROXIMATELY 70,000). WE DO NOT KNOW WHY THE LAF DECIDED
TO RAID THE ANO WEAPONS CACHE AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME; THE
ANO HAS NOT PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN LEBANON FOR SOME
TIME. WHILE THE GOL MAY HAVE ACTED NOW TO CAPITALIZE ON THE
RECENTLY REPORTED DEATH OF ABU NIDAL IN BAGHDAD, THIS ACTION
MAY SIMPLY BE PART OF SYRIAN/GOL EFFORTS TO BALANCE AND
CONTROL PALESTINIAN FORCES IN LEBANON. END COMMENT.


BATTLE