Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BEIRUT438
2006-02-14 16:54:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beirut
Cable title:  

MGLE01: FORMER SECRETARY GENERAL OF HIZBALLAH

Tags:  IS LE PGOV PREL PTER SY 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO6873
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHLB #0438 0451654
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 141654Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2006
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 000438 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WERNER/SINGH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2016
TAGS: IS LE PGOV PREL PTER SY
SUBJECT: MGLE01: FORMER SECRETARY GENERAL OF HIZBALLAH
RAISES HIS PROFILE

Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman. Reason: Section 1.4 (d).

SUMMARY
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 000438

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WERNER/SINGH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2016
TAGS: IS LE PGOV PREL PTER SY
SUBJECT: MGLE01: FORMER SECRETARY GENERAL OF HIZBALLAH
RAISES HIS PROFILE

Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman. Reason: Section 1.4 (d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) Shia extremist Sheikh Subhi Tufayli, who led
Hizballah for two years before being forced from the
leadership in 1989, and then expelled from the party in 1998,
is gradually re-emerging from the shadows. During last
week's Ashoura rally in his hometown of Brital, located near
Baalbek, Tufayli openly addressed the crowds, despite a
current arrest warrant issued against him for treason, dating
from his participation in a violent confrontation with the
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in 1998. Tufayli, who in the
past has stridently called for "martyrdom" operations against
Israeli and U.S. interests, is attracting increasing
attention from the Shia community in the surrounding Biqa
Valley. He is an avowed opponent of Hizballah's current
leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and attacks his successor at every
opportunity. Tufayli attempted to defy both Hizballah and
the GOL in 1997 when he called for a "revolt of the hungry"
among Shia farmers in Lebanon. The "revolt" ended in an
armed clash between Tufayli's followers and the LAF. Since
that clash Tufayli has remained a quiet figure in Shia
politics. His re-surfacing, although barely noticed by most
political analysts, bears watching due to his past prominence
and opposition to both Nasrallah and to the GOL. End summary.


2. (C) During an Ashoura rally on February 9, Sheikh Subhi
Tufayli, Hizballah's former Secretary General from 1987-1989,
emerged from self-imposed silence with a speech to the large
crowd. An avowed radical, who criticized the organization's
current leadership for timidity and being "too
pro-Christian," appears to be regaining a measure of support
and attention in the near monolithic Shia community.
Following his Ashoura speech, in an interview given on
February 12, Tufayli unexpectedly called on Hizballah to
abandon its arms, to prevent, he argued, other communities in
Lebanon from resorting to re-arming in the face of increased
sectarian tension.


3. (C) Tufayli's troubles with the authorities continue,
despite the apparent reluctance of Lebanon's Internal
Security Forces to arrest him in his home town. When the
Sheikh was expelled from Hizballah in 1989, Tufayli and his
supporters attempted to seize control of a Hizballah-run
school in Ayn Burday, located on the outskirts of Baalbek.
The situation deteriorated badly and during a firefight,
reportedly eight persons died, including an LAF officer.
Charges including treason and murder were filed and are still
outstanding, compelling Tufayli to remain close to his power
base in Brital.

COMMENT
--------------


5. (C) Tufayli's call for disarmament seems to be a
positive development for inter-communal relations, but his
past positions suggest that he may not yet have abandoned the
radical bent of his other views. Despite having greater
visibility in the past few weeks, Tufayli has not renounced
his earlier calls for martyrdom as a military tactic, and his
past criticism of Islamic scholars who condemn suicide
attacks. In the past, Tufayli has praised the actions of the
9/11 terrorists, as well as the extremists responsible for
the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, once
declaring, "I wish I had had the honor to bomb it." End
comment.
FELTMAN