Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - August 2006

[nwctwx]

Syria Tells Troops to Be Ready for Battle
(Full Story)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has placed his military on full alert, citing "regional challenges", and vowed to continue supporting the "Palestinian and Lebanese resistance more than ever".

In a speech to mark the Syrian Army national day, Mr Assad said the volatile situation across the Middle East required "vigilance, preparation and readiness" and ordered all units of the armed forces to be on alert.

The comments were interpreted by Israel as a morale booster to the Syrian armed forces and not a call to battle. Israeli intelligence chiefs have assessed that Syria is not in the mood for an open war and is instead content to resupply Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon.

	Iranian Cleric Asks Muslims to Send Weapons to Hezbollah
	Blair Says Syria, Iran Risk Confrontation
	Iran and Syria Beat the Drums of War

Thread Thirty-Nine

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[Cindy]

Yep, I spoke with a friend and we came to the conclusion I was probably thinking of an incident in another country and it was years back.

[Cindy]

You're welcome.

[Cindy]

WEST VIRGINIA...

Yep, duly noted and thank you very much Velveeta.
Updates appreciated.

[Velveeta]

The Man Who Is Planning the Next Attack on America
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/08/the_man_who_is_.html

[Velveeta]

Reading my mind again? I was just looking for phone updates:



Arrests tied to terrorism

OHIO

TracFones being bought in bulk at area retail stores are suspected of being shipped overseas and used to detonate roadside bombs, officials said.

On Wednesday, two men suspected of having ties to terrorism were arrested in Marietta after purchasing several phones at area stores.

The two men, Osma Sabhi Abulhassan, 20, and Ali Houssaiky, 20, both of Dearborn, Mich., admitted to buying more than 600 phones in the Mid-Ohio Valley over the past few weeks. Several of the pay-as-you-go cell phones and $11,000 in cash were found during a search of their vehicle. The men are being held in the Washington County Jail, each charged with obstructing official business.......
http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new22_89200683934.asp

[SlowBoat407]

That article made reference to something about the 22nd of the month actually falls on the 27th of August this year.

Ex, the 22nd of August coincides with the 27th day of a month in the muslim calendar, which is the day that mohammed (pox be upon him) is supposed to have ascended into allah-land. It only floats to the extent that the muslim calendar is offset from the civilized one.

[Godzilla]

I haven't heard anything like that yet, will look around. 100k would be quite a force...

I'm still searching for confirmation. Fox TV alledgedly reported it. About 40K on northern border already, the 50K would be follow-up and support.

[Velveeta]

Transportation Department Laptop Stolen
Missing Computer Could Compromise Data of Florida Residents

(snip)

The computer contains the names, Social Security numbers, birthdates and addresses of 42,792 Florida residents who hold a pilot's license; 80,667 people in the Miami-Dade County area who hold commercial driver's licenses; 9,496 people who took personal driver's license tests or obtained their license from an examining facility near Tampa, the letter said. (snip) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/09/AR2006080901177.html

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=Egypt
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=Montana
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=Minnesota
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=NewJersey
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=NewYork


===
===

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1676188/posts?page=523#523

===
===

Thanks to freeperfromnj and nwctwx for the updates.

---

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/09/egyptian.students/index.html
"Three Egyptian students in custody; 8 remain missing
Group of 11 didn't show up at school in Montana"
From Kevin Bohn and Jeanne Meserve
CNN Washington Bureau
Wednesday, August 9, 2006; Posted: 3:40 p.m. EDT (19:40 GMT)


WASHINGTON (CNN) --

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Two were found in New Jersey, according to two law enforcement officials, one of whom said they turned themselves in to authorities. No further information was available.

Eslam Ibrahim Mohamed El-Dessouki, 21, was arrested without incident about 11 a.m. (noon ET) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to a statement from FBI Special Agent Richard Kolko.

"El-Dessouki was taken into custody on an administrative immigration violation as an out-of-status student," Kolko said.

El-Dessouki "was located through source information," a federal law enforcement official said.

There was no indication what El-Dessouki was doing in Minnesota, but he was not visiting relatives, the official said."

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A source with knowledge of the investigation said the men, who range in age from 17 to 22, may be staying in New York, visiting relatives and trying to find jobs."

[Cindy]

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/am-nypd0810,0,6072998.story?coll=ny-nycnews-headlines

"Suspicious envelope sent to NYPD HQ is analyzed"
The Associated Press

August 9, 2006, 3:58 PM EDT

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The envelope was addressed to the New York Police Department's hate crimes unit."

[Cindy]

Thanks to nwctwx for this article:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060809/D8JD2LIG0.html
AP
"Nasrallah Urges Arabs to Leave Haifa"
Email this Story
Aug 9, 2:34 PM (ET)
By JOSEPH PANOSSIAN
Beirut, Lebanon

===
===

Thanks to a Special Freepmailer for this article:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/748424.html

Last update - 22:11 09/08/2006
"Nasrallah warns Arab residents of Haifa to leave their homes"
By The Associated Press

ARTICLE SNIPPET: ""I have a special message to the Arabs of Haifa, to your martyrs and to your wounded. I call you to leave this city. I hope you do this. ... Please leave so we don't shed your blood, which is our blood."

In a televised speech, Nasrallah said Israeli attacks had not weakened Hezbollah's rocket capabilities, and warned that his fighters would turn south Lebanon into a "graveyard" for invading Israel Defense Forces troops."

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "In a major shift in the Hezbollah position, Nasrallah also said the militant organization was solidly behind a Lebanese government plan to deploy 15,000 soldiers in south Lebanon once a cease-fire is reached and Israel pulls out its forces.

"In the past we used to oppose or not agree on deployment of the army at the borders ... because we were concerned about the army. ... We agree on deployment of the army, but do note hide our fear for it," Nasrallah said.

"The army could be destroyed within few days," he said."

[nwctwx]

Iranian Leader Speaks To Mike Wallace

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sat down with Mike Wallace in Tehran on Tuesday in a rare, exclusive interview with a Western reporter.

In the wide-ranging interview, the Iranian leader comments on President Bush's foreign policy, the lack of relations between Iran and the United States, Hezbollah, Lebanon and Iraq.

Speaking about President Bush's failure to answer his 18-page letter that criticized U.S. foreign policy, Ahmadinejad said, "Well, (with the letter) I wanted to open a window towards the light for the president so that he can see that one can look on the world through a different perspective. … We are all free to choose. But please give him this message, sir: Those who refuse to accept an invitation will not have a good ending or fate. You see that his approval rating is dropping every day. Hatred vis-à-vis the president is increasing every day around the world. For a ruler, this is the worst message that he could receive. Rulers and heads of government at the end of their office must leave the office holding their heads high."

On what the "conducive conditions" would be for Iran to establish relations with the U.S., the president said, "Well, please look at the makeup of the American administration, the behavior of the American administration. See how they talk down to my nation. And this recent resolution passed about the nuclear issue, look at the wording. They have given us — presented us with a package which we are studying right now. We even gave them a date for our response. Ignoring that, they passed a resolution. They want to build an empire. And they don't want to live side-by-side in peace with other nations. The American government, sir, it is very clear to me they have to change their behavior and everything will be resolved. (George W. Bush) believes that his power emanates from his nuclear warhead arsenals. The time of the bomb is in the past, it's behind us. Today is the era of thoughts, dialogue and cultural exchanges."

Portions of the interview will appear on the CBS Evening News on Thursday, Aug. 10 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT. The entire report will be broadcast on 60 Minutes this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005692.html


06 August 2006
Hizballah web site updates, 09 August 2006
UPDATE 09 AUGUST 2006: At the moment the only primary sites of Hizballah that are available are hosted in Iran. The alnournews.net site, ghaliboun.net and the other domains that pointed to it, and maahadalmahdi.org are all unavailable. The sites with content were all hosted by Fastservers in Chicago, and it is possible that this is a temporary situation due to denial of service attacks, and not the act of a responsible service provider. Time will tell.

New Posts
• Table of American Service Providers of Hizballah

• The websites of Hizballah, 09 August 2006

Ongoing Coverage
• THE AMERICAN DOMAIN NAME REGISTRARS OF HIZBALLAH

• HIZBALLAH'S DNS SERVICE PROVIDERS, 1998 TO 2006

[kimmie7]

.

[Cindy]

OK, that's interesting.

Smiling...keep updating and I'll keep reading.
I appreciate these updates Velveeta.

[Cindy]

OH DEAR.

[nwctwx]

Hezbollah using abandoned Israeli weapons

Israeli military officials have discovered Hezbollah militants in Lebanon using Israeli weaponry either stolen or left behind when Israel withdrew in 2000.

Maj. Meir Guttman said Israeli radio equipment, body armor and rifles have been found by troops now operating in southern Lebanon. He said as troops were destroying guerrilla facilities, Israeli night-vision equipment, gas masks, various types of handguns, silencers and helmets were recovered.

Guttman said it wasn't known if the items had been stolen in raids into Israel, or whether they were inadvertently left behind after May 24, 2000, when Israel completed the withdrawal of its forces from southern Lebanon in accordance with a U.N. Security Council resolution.

Israel had about 10,000 troops in Lebanon Wednesday, as the Cabinet approved stepping up its forces battling Hezbollah militants for the past four weeks.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Ah, ok.

[Godzilla]

Special Terrorism Summary 08/09/06
Israel At War

Godzilla Observations
It seem that things are going to (and presently are) heating up following the cabinet decision to expand the ground campaign. I have my doubts about Olmert’s resolution to go all the way to the Litani, but we’ll see. Fighting already bloody for the IDF with about 11 dead already.
IDF has adapted to Hezbollah’s use of ATGM by using snipers to provide overwatch. This has had some success, though hasn’t totally stopped the ATGM attacks.

Nasrallah Speech
Key notes:
1. No mention of attacking Tel Aviv
2. Warns Arabs to leave Haifa
3. Invites Lebanese Army to move into Hezbollah territory.

Cabinet Votes To Expand Ground Operations
Israel's security cabinet has ordered a 30-day expanded ground offensive in Lebanon aimed at striking a harder blow against Hezbollah and curbing its cross-border rocket attacks. The decision by PM Ehud Olmert and top ministers may send troops as far as 13 miles - to the Litani River - into southern Lebanon. Nine ministers approved the decision and three abstained, including Vice Premier Shimon Peres. IDF's recommended target: Litani River

IDF Ground Offensive
Things are happening fast, so most of the following is a little old already, though fresh within the past 24 hours. The IDF attempted to make limited advances towards Labouneh, in the eastern sector. The push in Labouneh appears to be an attempt to finish securing the southwestern most corner of Lebanon and link up with elements in Al Bayyadah and Al Mansuri.
A push north in the area west of Bint Jubayl, probably trying to close the gap between the central and eastern sectors.
In the eastern (northern) sector, attacks towards Qantarah, and in the direction of Khiyam. These pushes are probably reconnaissance in force for a larger push tomorrow.
The IDF reportedly has reinforced their presence in the general areas of Marwahin in the western sector, and Sarda in the eastern sector. There were also reports about a concentration of IDF troops in the Manara and Metulla areas on the Israeli side. It is currently estimated that IDF has between 7,000 – 10,000 ground troops in Lebanon with another 30,000 – 40, 000 marshalling on the border. RUMINT indicates that there has been another 50,000 called up, still pending confirmation.

Godzilla Interpretation of ground actions and possible tactics / objectives.
There are no reports on the Al Bayyadah / Al Mansuri areas today. I am suspecting that an IDF push along the costal road has occurred and coincides with the push from the southeast via Majdal Zun, and Labouneh thus sealing off the southwestern most portion of Lebanon.
IDF probes in the eastern and northernmost sector towards the northeast and west. These areas are the closest to the Litani River. They are probably setting up a push to the river.
Based upon the current disposition of the IDF, I suspect that they are trying to launch envelopment around Hezbollah. The eastern (northern) sector will push to the west / northwest and seize the length of the Litani river. The build-up of IDF in the Metulla area will support that assault. The other pincer will come from the western most sector northward past Tyre to the Litani. Reinforcements in the Marwahin area and possibly Shetula will go to support that assault. This will isolate Hezbollah units in southern Lebanon from receiving reinforcements or supplies.
A shallower envelopment will push west and southwest from the Hula area towards the Haddathha area to be met by a push to the northeast from the Ayta ash Shab area as well as a general advance to the north / northwest across the central sector, then drive to connect with the blocking forces to the north and west. This is where the heaviest fighting will occur IMHO as it was a Hezbollah stronghold even during the Israeli occupation in the 1980’s. IDF sources suggest that this operation will take at least a week to accomplish. Unless Hezbollah cracks under the attack, I suspect it may take longer.

IAF Activity
IAF continues to attack multiple sites with no opposition. Israeli Air Force warplanes attacked early Wednesday more than 120 targets throughout Lebanon, among them 80 Hizbullah structures, four rocket launchers, a cave used to hide weapons, 25 roads and seven bridges -most of them on the Litani River. Israeli air strike killed Hizballah politburo member Hassan –Sadr in the Beqaa village of Mashgaran early Wednesday.

Hezbollah Rockets
As of late Wednesday afternoon, about 171 rockets had been fired at Israel since the morning. On the RUMINT side, some rumors regarding the reason Olmert hasn’t more aggressively pushed to the Litani is the fear that to do so would cause Hezbollah to start targeting Tel Aviv.

[nwctwx]

CNN:

-Iranian revolutionary gaurd found among dead Hezbollah.
-15 Israeli soldiers killed today