Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - July 2006

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/lebanon_update.html
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Note: The following text is a quote:
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http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2006/20060718_5680.html


Sea, Air Evacuations Proceed from Lebanon

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2006 – A contracted ship has docked in Lebanon to evacuate U.S. citizens caught in the fighting there, and U.S. officials have ordered the expeditionary strike group based around the USS Iwo Jima to assist in the effort, DoD officials said here today.
DoD contracted a Greek ocean liner, the Orient Queen, to evacuate American citizens from Beirut, and that vessel has docked, a senior DoD official told reporters.

The liner can hold up to 750 people for the five-hour voyage to Cyprus, an island nation in the western Mediterranean. In addition, six CH-53 helicopters -- three from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and three from U.S. forces based in the United Kingdom -- are evacuating Americans citizens from the American embassy compound in Beirut. The air evacuation is aimed at citizens with special needs. The helicopters deliver the refugees to Cyprus. DoD is building to a capacity of 300 people evacuated by air per day. "We will increase that number if needed," the official said.

The destroyer USS Gonzalez is providing security for the Orient Queen, officials said.

The official said DoD is finalizing contracts with up to four other vessels with capacities ranging from 200 to 300 people to over 1,000.

State and defense officials did not specify the number of Americans that U.S. forces would evacuate from Lebanon, saying they will evacuate however many Americans want to leave the country. There are around 25,000 American citizens in Lebanon, but not all will want to leave the country, an official said. "It could be 5,000 (who want to leave); it could be 10,000," a State Department spokesman said. If fighting intensifies between Israel and Hezbollah, more Americans may wish to escape the battle, officials said.

The headquarters of Task Force 59, commanded by Marine Brig. Gen. Carl Jensen, is directing the evacuation operation from Cyprus. The Iwo Jima group, which includes the Iwo Jima, the USS Nashville, the USS Whidbey Island, the USS Trenton, and the High Speed Vessel Swift, will arrive off Lebanon later this week.

The contracted carriers and the U.S. Navy ships will have more than enough capacity to evacuate anyone who wishes to leave, the senior Defense official said.

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.truthusa.com/2ndAmendment.html

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1668003/posts

"Annie, get your Glock"
The Boston Globe ^ | July 18, 2006 | Michael Hardy

Posted on 07/18/2006 1:07:35 PM PDT by neverdem

[Cindy]

Off-Topic...

http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=31628

"NYC Robbers Put Unique Spin on Money Laundering"

Updated: July 18th, 2006 11:39 AM EDT
The Associated Press

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "When Anthony Digiosaffatte and Paul Villanueva laundered the money nabbed in a bank robbery, authorities say, they took the literal approach - sticking some of the cash in a washing machine to cleanse it of red dye from a special pack that exploded during the heist.

According to criminal complaints, the men stole $65,000 at gunpoint from a bank in Queens on Tuesday.

Referring to the packs of dye banks use to foil robbers by making stolen money unusable, Digiosaffatte told the tellers, "No dye packs," the complaints say.

No such luck. Authorities say that as the men were making off with the loot, a pack exploded, spraying much of the cash with red dye. The pair dropped about $30,000 on the sidewalk outside the bank, officials said, while more was left behind in the getaway car.

Digiosaffatte, 51, and Villanueva, 37, then checked in to a motel, where authorities say they stuck the money in mesh laundry bags used to wash delicate clothing.

"They must've washed it many times because the bills were washed out and looked worn down," said Sgt. Robert Young, commander of the FBI and New York Police Department's Joint Bank Robbery Task Force."

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hezbollah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizbullah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizballah
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Note: The following post is a quote:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1668056/posts


FBI eyes Hizbollah in US as tensions with Iran rise
Reuters ^ | July 18, 2006 | Caroline Drees

Posted on 07/18/2006 2:22:20 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative

The FBI is trying to ferret out possible Hizbollah agents in the United States amid concerns that rising U.S.-Iranian tensions could trigger attacks on American soil, FBI officials said.

Relations between Washington and Tehran, which soured after the 1979 Islamic revolution, have deteriorated further recently over Iran's nuclear program and its support for Hizbollah, the militant Islamic group whose capture of two Israeli soldiers last week prompted Israel to launch retaliatory strikes in Lebanon.

American law enforcement officials are concerned the Lebanon-based Hizbollah, which has so far focused on fund-raising and other support activities inside the United States, could turn to violence in solidarity with Iran.

"If the situation escalates, will Hizbollah take the gloves off, so to speak, and attack here in the United States, which they've been reluctant to do until now?" said William Kowalski, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI in Detroit.

Detroit is home to one of the largest Muslim communities in the United States.

"Because of the heightened difficulties surrounding U.S.-Iranian relations, the FBI has increased its focus on Hizbollah," said FBI spokesman Paul Bresson in Washington.

"Those investigations relate particularly to the potential presence of Hizbollah members on U.S. soil."

There is no specific or credible intelligence pointing to an imminent U.S. attack by Hizbollah, which the United States considers a terrorist group, Bresson added.

(Excerpt) Read more at today.reuters.com ...

[Rushmore Rocks]

I think we all need to be on "red alert" right now.

Thanks for all you do here, Cindy. Mr. RR and RR,jr. are both out of country right now, so I'm reading all I can about the trouble spots. Don't know what I'd do without all you great FReepers. More info here than anywhere.

[backhoe]

I think we all need to be on "red alert" right now.

Not a bad idea at any time.

If you ever see a copy of this old book:

-Principles of Personal Defense...Jeff Cooper's classic--

Pick it up.

Vest pocket summary? Emulate your cat- very little surprises him...

[JustPiper]

good to see your informative links!

check your email, sent you much to post ;)

[Godzilla]

RUMINT indicates that the Jihadi sites are in convulsions over Arab refusal to support Hizbollah. Any confirmation from what you've seen

[Rushmore Rocks]

Thanks, Backhoe..........I'll look for the book.


"Emulate your cat"..........I would love to. Lie in the sunbeam, roll on my back for the tummy rubs, hand fed treats, no work............. just be.

Sounds pretty good.

[Godzilla]

Hezbollah threatening to ratchet it up an additional notch. The 1 hour warning has NOT been given yet. Alert to all to watch for if/when that occurs. If they follow through it will not be pretty folks.
From yoni.townhall.com

Nasrallah Will Give Tel Aviv Residents One Hour to Flee
Arab press sources close to the Hizbullah say that residents of Tel Aviv will be given one hour to flee before the terrorist group launches a barrage of missiles at the city.
The unnamed sources are quoted by the Palestinian Authority-based news agency Ma'an as saying:
"The Lebanese resistance is preparing a retaliation parallel to Israel's military actions. Hassan Nasrallah will address the people of Tel Aviv and warn them to evacuate the city within one hour. As soon as the delay ends, hundreds of heavy missiles will start landing in the city, which has been divided into squares in order to let damage reach every inch of the city. An estimated 500 missiles are expected to land in Tel Aviv in a short period of time."

[Rushmore Rocks]

Oh, Jeez!!!!

[backhoe]

Thanks, Backhoe..........I'll look for the book. "Emulate your cat"..........I would love to. Lie in the sunbeam, roll on my back for the tummy rubs, hand fed treats, no work............. just be.

I actually think the animals got a better deal than humans- they live in an eternal now, not much past, and little worries about the future.

If you ever run across old books by the long-dead Mel Tappan ( Tappan on Survival, Survival Guns ) they are worth reading. The specific advice is old, of course, but the methods of thinking and analyzing he presented are timeless.

[Godzilla]

Special Terrorism Summary 07/18/06 #2
Israel At War

This is not a blow by blow, but a summary of the information I’ve seen and heard. The situation is still critical and IMHO Israel still has the green light to continue for an indefinite period.

The IDF has found that Hizbullah is preventing civilians from leaving villages in southern Lebanon. Roadblocks have been set up outside some of the villages to prevent residents from leaving, while in other villages Hizbullah is preventing UN representatives from entering, who are trying to help residents leave. In two villages, exchanges of fire between residents and Hizbullah have broken out.

IAF foils rocket transports from Syria Although Hizbullah has suffered a harsh blow from Israeli air force strikes which took out a good percentage of their available weapons, Syria was continuing to smuggle arms into Lebanon to rearm the group, IDF Operations Branch Head Major General Gadi Eisenkot said during a press briefing Tuesday.

Shelling of Israel by Hezbollah militants in Lebanon reached a peak of one missile a minute for an hour Tuesday as Israel's air force stepped up bombing runs. By midday Tuesday, more than 1,000 missiles and other rounds had been fired into Israel in the weeklong cross-border barrage, the Arutz Sheva newspaper reported. However, while some Israeli injuries were reported, there were no fatalities, Ynetnews reported.

The United States ordered nine warships to waters off the Lebanese coast amid fears of possible terrorist attacks on ships evacuating US nationals, officials said.

Nasrallah Will Give Tel Aviv Residents One Hour to Flee
Godzilla Note: This warning has NOT been given yet
Arab press sources close to the Hizbullah say that residents of Tel Aviv will be given one hour to flee before the terrorist group launches a barrage of missiles at the city.
The unnamed sources are quoted by the Palestinian Authority-based news agency Ma'an as saying:
"The Lebanese resistance is preparing a retaliation parallel to Israel's military actions. Hassan Nasrallah will address the people of Tel Aviv and warn them to evacuate the city within one hour. As soon as the delay ends, hundreds of heavy missiles will start landing in the city, which has been divided into squares in order to let damage reach every inch of the city. An estimated 500 missiles are expected to land in Tel Aviv in a short period of time." image, in order to increase the surprise effect of the planned barrage on Tel Aviv. The war, from the perspective of Nasrallah, has not yet begun, the sources said, adding that other "surprises" planned by the Hizbullah include more kidnappings of Israeli soldiers from along the Lebanese border. Also claiming to have "surprises" in store for Israel is the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad. On Tuesday night, the terrorist organization claimed to have fired a Katyusha rocket at Sderot. The Katyusha is a more deadly rocket than the Kassam, and is being deployed against Israel in the north of the country by the Hizbullah.

[nwctwx]

Rare full TM list ping:

Ma'an: Nasrallah Will Give Tel Aviv Residents One Hour to Flee
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1668115/posts

[WestCoastGal]

Boasting??....these guys tend to huff and puff a lot. So far their mini rockets have not done much but terrorize folks. They got lucky and killed a few poor innocents in their homes and at the train station. God rest their souls.

However, if he is able and does that there will be hell to pay. Also, Iran/Syria would have to help them do that and then we have a BIG problem. I wish the Israeli's could find him and take him out permanently.

[Oorang]

Thanks for the summary and post Godzilla. Interesting times.

[FlashBack]

Thanks for the pings...Looks like things are ratcheting up quite a bit...a bluff perhaps???
This should give the IDF alot of targets to pinpoint if the missles start to fly.

[fatima]

I saw that.His hour's up.Thank's for the ping.I made the list:)

[Godzilla]

Note the report said "will be given" warning. No warning has so far been given but is something to pay attention to, especially if / when Israel begins ground offensive.

[fatima]

True.