The NYT reports:
The United States has received “credible information” that Syrian operatives in Lebanon plan to try to assassinate senior Lebanese political leaders and that Syrian military intelligence forces are returning to Lebanon to create “an environment of intimidation,” a senior administration official said Thursday.
The obvious questions: Is this the Bush Administration building a case for invaded Syria? Does anyone believe or trust “credible information” from the U.S.? Why are anonymous sources OK for the White House to use, but not for Newsweek?
The Washington Post also covers this:
“These are threats against some of the most prominent Lebanese political leaders. The purpose would be to create instability and to create internal strife,” a senior administration official said. After a brief lull in Syrian interference in Lebanon, senior Syrian intelligence personnel have been seen back in Lebanon, particularly over the past week, the official added.
…snip…
The senior administration official said that a “variety of credible Lebanese sources” had said Damascus has developed a “hit list” of senior Lebanese political leaders, and that the sources had reported seeing “familiar figures” from Syrian intelligence back in Lebanon. “There are efforts by Syrians to put back in place the system of intimidation,” he added.”
But what WaPo does not mention, and the Times does, is that this “credible” evidence is in dispute:
But intelligence officials said they could not immediately substantiate the reliability of the information cited by the administration official. A State Department official said that word of a “hit list” had been “circulating among the Lebanese” but that no one in the administration had actually seen such a list and that its existence could not be independently verified.
Fear. Uncertainty. Doubt.
The hallmarks of the Bush Administration’s case for war.
But after Iraq, why would anyone believe us ever again? We have no credibility left in the world. Bush is barely hanging on to his credibility in his own country.
That’s what happens when you lie.
And, of course, there’s the anonymous source:
The administration official volunteered the information about what he said was a “Syrian hit list” on the condition that he not be identified by name or agency. A spokesman for the official, asked why the official would not make the assertions more openly, said it was because of the diplomatic sensitivities involved as well as the usual reluctance to discuss intelligence matters openly.
Again, it’s OK for the White House, but Newsweek does it, and it’s their fault that people are dead.
So, the question remains: what is the purpose of this leak, and where is it heading?
At the moment, I’m reading Philip Caputo’s “Means Of Escape: A War Correspondent’s Memoir of Life and Death in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Vietnam.”
Fascinating story. He talks about the Israelis’ attitude towards Syria and Syrians. Give me a moment to find it and I’ll transcribe it for you.
I’m suggesting that the Israeli view of Syria may get some play in D.C.. here’s the quote from Caputo’s book:
– p. 189
Actually, I think that’s what a lot of the Republicans think of EVERYONE in the MIddle East.
I don’t doubt that those in power feel that way — in fact, I’m surprised they were left out of the “Axis of Evil.”
My question here is, is this a first step in a case for war? The pattern here: shady intel, setting up a bad guy…in fact, I didn’t mention it but the articles state that the U.N. is sending in “verifiers” — sounds strangely like the weapons inspectors in Iraq.
to raise his and the GOP’s approval ratings before the 2006 elections.
That’s what I’m afraid of….we certainly are due for a terror alert.
Syria has been on Bush’s list of countries to invade/occupy/control from the beginning (2001).
The only questions are the timing, and how it will be sold.
We are seeing the start of the sell right now. The war will have to wait until physical conditions at the target are suitable, and the selling has been (successfully) completed.
Military action will occur in the spring of 2006.
Don’t believe a word of it.. the U.S. is hearing these reports directly from the Israelis who think Assad is the easiest target in the region.
I saw that both “Mad” Michel Aoun and Walid Jumblatt were on television this week claiming more of the same, that mysterious run-amok Syrian intelligence agents were planning to gun them down.. it’s all political hay ahead of the super critical third round on Sunday. And Walid’s bad blood with Bashar goes way back.
Bashar is getting squeezed from all sides and the recent resignation of his veep, his daddy’s old drinking buddy, is showing his weaknesses. Plus he held his first Ba’ath party conference this week after postponing them for four years.
The Kurds are getting more restless than ever, the Druze are acting up and everybody but Russia is cutting and running. Even the EU is taking flak from the US as it tries to establish trade relations.
The U.S. is building up a case but it isn’t for a full invasion.. its for a new strongman like Hafez was to take over, quick and nearly bloodless. He was a ruthless dictator and played ball with the Daddy Bush when it mattered (esp w/r/t Gulf War 1991).
Pax