Posted on 03/18/2005 9:15:01 AM PST by FreedomNeocon
Why Syria loves Lebanon: Billions in skimmed revenues, Bekaa Valley's drug paradise, top-secret WMD tunnels
3-18-05
http://www.geostrategy-direct.com
President Bashar Assad loves little Lebanon because he and his cronies have been sucking their neighbor dry for years. Lebanon feeds billions of dollars into Assad's coffers that allows him to resist Western sanctions and maintain power.
Assad inherited this revenue stream, U.S. officials said. His late father, Hafez, created the system.
First, Lebanon has been a drug paradise for the Assad regime. The Bekaa Valley, heavily guarded by Iranian and Syrian troops, contains one of the largest drug operations in the world. Laboratories in Baalbek and other towns in the Bekaa take opium from Afghanistan and convert it into heroin. From there, the cut-grade heroin is shipped to Europe and Africa.
Assad junior also runs one of the largest counterfeiting operations in the world. Want a fake dollar bill? The Bekaa makes the best $50 and $100 bills — perfect for crime syndicates and governments that can't afford real U.S. currency.
Lebanon has also been the haven for Arab investment, particularly from Saudi Arabia. For the Saudis, Lebanon represents a summer haven where they can rest on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean and live a secret Western lifestyle. Assad provides the security for the Saudis and he is handsomely rewarded.
Assad takes a hefty cut of virtually every government project in Lebanon. The cut involves cash for government concessions as well as guarantees that Syrian labor will be used. Assad also obtains a cut of the salary of each of the more than 1 million Syrians working in Lebanon.
The Syrian president also rents space in Lebanon to Iran and terrorist groups. Those needing to train in Lebanon or Syria, of course, pay a fee to use Lebanon for exercises — whether in southern Lebanon or the Bekaa Valley. The result is that everybody from Chechens, Algerians and even Al Qaida operatives use this terrorist resort.
The Bekaa Valley also contains the darkest of Syria's secrets, including Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. More than a few U.S. officials are convinced that Iraq brought convoys of medium-range missiles and WMD warheads to Syria at the end of 2002 and early 2003 — on the eve of the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Some of the WMD stayed in Syria. Most was regarded as too hot to handle, even for Assad. The material was stored in tunnels in the Bekaa Valley.
Given this, it is clear why Syria wants advanced SA-18 anti-aircraft system from Russia. Syria wants low-signature surface-to-air missiles to prevent any Israeli or U.S. air raid over the Bekaa Valley. Damascus has heavy anti-aircraft systems for inside Syria. But to bring these Soviet-origin weapons into Lebanon would present a juicy target for any Western military.
This info has been known for years...from 1993:
It has been reported that billions of dollars' worth of American currency around the world is fake and that as much as 200 million dollars' worth has already been identified. What was once an irritating problem has blossomed into an Achilles heel for our economy. Recent news reports show terrorists in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon mass producing $100 bills. These terrorists have refined the process so that counterfeit $100 bills are near perfect. Intelligence sources have indicated that counterfeit bills are being used to finance international terrorism and to purchase illicit weapons from international arms markets. International counterfeiters are operating on an unprecedented scale and their activities have become a serious national security problem.Congressional Record - Oct 27 1993
How soon can US forces get inside those WMD tunnels in the Bekaa Valley?
As soon as Syria leaves the area...but I don't see that happening soon. We have Assad between a rock and a hard place...he can't leave Bekaa Valley without them and if he tries to leave with them we'll nail his butt.
But they could be moving them as we speak, through those same tunnels?
Save.
Without my knowing the exact location of the tunnels, I could not be sure (I went out and searched to see if there was a map available, but could not find one) but I am sure the military has the info, probably satellite pics and will act on it.
Ping
Thanks for the ping, Ruth.
I hope that this is indeed where the Iraqi WMDs are hidden. Time will tell and it will certainly be interesting if it pans out.
OMG President Assad is Tony Montana of the Middle East?
Say hellooo to my little goats LOL!
I knew there were more tunnels!
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