Israel has a serious problem in Lebanon. Read through the pro-jihadi propaganda and you'll get a glimpse at the mindset.
Report on Situation at PFLP-GC Posts in Lebanon Following Israeli Air Raid Report by Al-Nahar correspondent Radwan Aqil: "Al-Nahar enters positions held by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- General Command. A military arsenal and fighters awaiting martyrdom." Al-Nahar Friday, December 30, 2005 Minutes after an Israeli air raid on the positions of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- General Command (PFLP--GC) in the Al-Na'imah Hills at dawn yesterday, Damascus-based Ahmad Jibril, secretary general of the PFLP-GC, was on the line with his cadres in Lebanon to obtain information on what happened and inquire about the condition of two wounded persons. At the time of the raid, the wounded were at a forward position a few meters from a series of tunnels deep inside these hills and the group's weapons. These weapons continue to be a hot issue in talks between the Lebanese Government and Palestinian factions, which have not set up a joint delegation to date. Naturally, these factions benefited from the situation of the government of Prime Minister Fu'ad al-Sanyurah. Jibril who is familiar with every stone in these tunnels kept receiving reports in his office in the Syrian capital all day long yesterday. Shortly after the raid, local and foreign correspondents and photographers rushed to the area to take pictures, but were prevented from crossing the perimeters of these positions' entrances. Al-Nahar, however, entered the PFLP--GC posts in the Al-Na'imah Hills where the group's personnel who are accustomed to such situations were on alert. Some of them were drinking tea in the presence of the group's cadre members, led by PFLP--GC official in Lebanon Anwar Raja who was flanked by Abu-Rushdi and a number of officers. After a discussion, we were allowed to conduct a tour of military posts situated on the Al-Na'imah side of the hills on the condition that we do not take photographs inside the posts. Meanwhile, groups of photographers stood at the entrance and attempted several times to enter, but the guards were given clear instructions not to allow journalists to take pictures. There were small signposts on the side of the road leading to one post. The words: "photography and passage are prohibited, Mines, A military area" were written on these signposts with the drawing of a skull on top. Most of the fighters with whom we met wore hats covering their faces for security reasons. There were many dummy shelters covered with reeds with a number of police dogs sitting near them. These dogs are trained to follow the trail of strangers and protect these sites. There were several motorcycles nearby. One of them was damaged by the raid. When we entered one room, a soldier stood up and saluted the escorting officer, while a television set was tuned in an Islamic satellite channel reciting Koranic verses. The wall was adorned by the map of Palestine and pictures of Jihad Jibril (Jibril's dead son). Also, there were some beds and a rug for prayer in the room. One soldier who held a rifle to his chest told us "Write down that our morale is high, no matter the blows that we receive." Meanwhile, his companion was busy preparing lunch and boiling chick-pea beans on a gas cooker. He told us he was preparing food for his companions who sat in a trench a few meters from him. There was bread, eggs, potatoes, canned meat, and sardine cans on the table. In the next room, there was a considerable quantity of klashnikov rifles and medium-caliber weapons together with an arsenal of boxes filled with bullets and ammunition. Wherever you move around these posts, you see electric wires and a network of internal telecommunication lines connecting the shelters together. On the entrance to a tunnel in the middle of the valley, there is a wire-fenced room, which is fortified with sandbags. One wall of the room is covered with signatures of "Abu-Bara", "Abu-al-Layl", "Abu-Darwish", and "Adhab", while the words "the general command and Palestine are written on another wall. This room is usually used to lay ambushes and provide the necessary protection for the tunnels and installed missiles. One of the officers manning the post said that Israeli planes fired two missiles and carried out two raids on a tunnel, coming from the Al-Damur side. He added that the damage was not extensive and that two soldiers suffered minor injuries and were immediately taken to hospital by an ambulance car, which came from Beirut. The officer in charge said one of the wounded had a bleeding nose while the other one was hit in the hand. Abu-Ali who is in his 60s introduced himself as a man wedded to the Palestinian cause. He said that he has been serving in the ranks of the PFLP-GC for more than 3 decades. He was wearing fatigues and had a gray beard. But he still maintains his physical fitness. When the raid happened, he was sleeping inside a shelter. He quickly took up his rifle and moved along with a group of men to the targeted site. He oversaw the evacuation of the wounded. When a young man in his 30s jokingly said to him "You are now over 60 and have not been martyred yet", he replied: "I am awaiting this day. We are all awaiting martyrdom." PFLP-GC officials, including a Lebanese man with a high rank, came from the Al-Biqa region. A Palestinian friend said to the Lebanese man: "Welcome. You lightened up Al-Na'imah." The Lebanese man replied: "I am one of a considerable number of Lebanese people who are active in the ranks of the front because we share the same cause." When asked: "Are you not afraid of being pursued by the Lebanese security authorities", he said: "My job is resistance. Am I working outside the law?" During a conversation with a leading PFLP-GC figure who was inspecting his men at one of the posts when Israeli aircraft flew over Al-Shuf region and along the costal line, a young man under 17 jokingly said: "The sound of planes delights us. We do not fear planes." The leading PFLP-GC figure says that his front did not fire the latest katyusha rockets. He already knows that many Lebanese figures will hold the front responsible for what happened in the past hours. It seemed that he rejects any statement made by members of the Future Trend. He says: "Some statements contravene logic." He adds: "Israel benefits from the tense climate in Beirut." Commenting on Hizballah, he says: "It is our ally and we respect its military and political options." He says that his front's personnel in the Al-Na'imah Hills and other posts are "in complete readiness to retaliate for Israeli aggressions." He rejects the view that Palestinian factions were late in setting up a joint delegation for talks with the Lebanese Government. He notes that the coalition of Palestinian forces, which includes the PFLP-GC and other groups, handed over to the PLO factions the paper that it prepared in this regard. He says: "We are fully ready to open the necessary dialogue with the Lebanese authorities." The night before the last in the Al-Na'imah Hills and PFLP-GC posts was hot, in contrast with the December cold. This indicates that the Palestinian dossier will continue to be a hot issue in the halls of the government house whose agenda is full of problems created by both the close and distant ones. (Description of Source: Beirut Al-Nahar (Internet Version-WWW) in Arabic -- Independent, moderate, centrist, and christian; root URL: http://www.annahar.com.lb) -------------------------------------- For more translations and news on terrorism, visit http://www.lauramansfield.com or visit our forum at http://www.lauramansfield.com/forum/ Strategic Translations is a service provided by Laura Mansfield through http://www.lauramansfield.com You may email Laura at [EMAIL PROTECTED] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back! http://us.click.yahoo.com/g0CDCD/tzNLAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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