US embassy cable - 02BEIRUT2782

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