Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BEIRUT2698
2006-08-18 18:20:00
SECRET
Embassy Beirut
Cable title:
DEFMIN MURR WORRIED ABOUT PALESTINIANS PROVOKING
how-toVZCZCXRO4708 OO RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK DE RUEHLB #2698 2301820 ZNY SSSSS ZZH O 181820Z AUG 06 FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5143 INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 0121
S E C R E T BEIRUT 002698
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/SINGH/HARDING
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2026
TAGS: PREL PTER MOPS PARM SY LE
SUBJECT: DEFMIN MURR WORRIED ABOUT PALESTINIANS PROVOKING
ISRAEL
Classified By: Jeffrey Feltman, Ambassador, per 1.4 (b) and (d).
S E C R E T BEIRUT 002698
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/SINGH/HARDING
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2026
TAGS: PREL PTER MOPS PARM SY LE
SUBJECT: DEFMIN MURR WORRIED ABOUT PALESTINIANS PROVOKING
ISRAEL
Classified By: Jeffrey Feltman, Ambassador, per 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (S) On 8/18, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister
Elias Murr told the Ambassador that he was deeply worried by
intelligence information suggesting that Palestinian
rejectionists planned to disrupt the ongoing LAF deployment
to the south. While he had nothing specific, he analyzed
from putting disparate pieces of information together that
Syria wanted the PFLP-GC or other Syrian-funded Palestinians
in order to launch a rocket attack against Israel now, before
LAF deployment concluded and before the expansion of UNIFIL
took place.
2. (S) The Syrian-Palestinian rejectionist goal, Murr said,
is clear: provoke Israel into attacking GOL institutions,
now that "we are responsible for the south," and give any
potential troop contributors cold feet about joining UNIFIL.
Thus, UNIFIL-plus never happens. In Murr's view, a
Palestinian attack might occur quite quickly, while the LAF
was still feeling its way through the south. "Israel will
destroy the army," he fretted, talking about Israeli
retaliation. "That's what Bashar wants. Destroy the army
now, before it is ready to take action."
3. (S) Murr speculated that Syria is particularly eager
that the Palestinians move now, because the Syrians are
"furious" about a second quiet LAF deployment that
intentionally was done away from the public spotlight but
which the Syrians have noticed: as part of the GOL's
implementation of UNSCR 1701's arms smuggling provisions,
Murr claimed to have ordered the deployment of 7,000 LAF
soldiers to the Syrian-Lebanese border, on top of the token
500 soldiers who were there already. According to Murr,
4,000 of these troops have already deployed to the border,
infuriating the Syrians. (PM Siniora told us separately
about this development. We do not have independent
confirmation yet of the assertion by the PM and DefMin that
there are now 4,500 LAF troops on the Syrian-Lebanese border,
but it would be good news if true.)
4. (S) The Ambassador told Murr that everyone knew all
along that there was a danger that the Palestinian
rejectionists would try to destroy the cessation of
hostilities and disrupt the implementation of UNSCR 1701.
The Ambassador argued that this is exactly why having some
kind of ongoing communication between the LAF and IDF via
UNIFIL was so important. The Ambassador urged Murr to use
the UN now to pass to the IDF its concerns and to use the
next IDF-UNIFIL-LAF coordination session on Sunday to go over
how to address this kind of danger. "I hope we have until
Sunday," Murr said.
FELTMAN
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/SINGH/HARDING
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2026
TAGS: PREL PTER MOPS PARM SY LE
SUBJECT: DEFMIN MURR WORRIED ABOUT PALESTINIANS PROVOKING
ISRAEL
Classified By: Jeffrey Feltman, Ambassador, per 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (S) On 8/18, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister
Elias Murr told the Ambassador that he was deeply worried by
intelligence information suggesting that Palestinian
rejectionists planned to disrupt the ongoing LAF deployment
to the south. While he had nothing specific, he analyzed
from putting disparate pieces of information together that
Syria wanted the PFLP-GC or other Syrian-funded Palestinians
in order to launch a rocket attack against Israel now, before
LAF deployment concluded and before the expansion of UNIFIL
took place.
2. (S) The Syrian-Palestinian rejectionist goal, Murr said,
is clear: provoke Israel into attacking GOL institutions,
now that "we are responsible for the south," and give any
potential troop contributors cold feet about joining UNIFIL.
Thus, UNIFIL-plus never happens. In Murr's view, a
Palestinian attack might occur quite quickly, while the LAF
was still feeling its way through the south. "Israel will
destroy the army," he fretted, talking about Israeli
retaliation. "That's what Bashar wants. Destroy the army
now, before it is ready to take action."
3. (S) Murr speculated that Syria is particularly eager
that the Palestinians move now, because the Syrians are
"furious" about a second quiet LAF deployment that
intentionally was done away from the public spotlight but
which the Syrians have noticed: as part of the GOL's
implementation of UNSCR 1701's arms smuggling provisions,
Murr claimed to have ordered the deployment of 7,000 LAF
soldiers to the Syrian-Lebanese border, on top of the token
500 soldiers who were there already. According to Murr,
4,000 of these troops have already deployed to the border,
infuriating the Syrians. (PM Siniora told us separately
about this development. We do not have independent
confirmation yet of the assertion by the PM and DefMin that
there are now 4,500 LAF troops on the Syrian-Lebanese border,
but it would be good news if true.)
4. (S) The Ambassador told Murr that everyone knew all
along that there was a danger that the Palestinian
rejectionists would try to destroy the cessation of
hostilities and disrupt the implementation of UNSCR 1701.
The Ambassador argued that this is exactly why having some
kind of ongoing communication between the LAF and IDF via
UNIFIL was so important. The Ambassador urged Murr to use
the UN now to pass to the IDF its concerns and to use the
next IDF-UNIFIL-LAF coordination session on Sunday to go over
how to address this kind of danger. "I hope we have until
Sunday," Murr said.
FELTMAN