Report: U.S suspects Iraqi WMD in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley

Drudge via World Tribune ^ | Monday, August 25, 2003

[RoughDobermann]

U.S. intelligence suspects Iraq's weapons of mass destruction have finally been located.

Unfortunately, getting to them will be nearly impossible for the United States and its allies, because the containers with the strategic materials are not in Iraq.

Instead they are located in Lebanon's heavily-fortified Bekaa Valley, swarming with Iranian and Syrian forces, and Hizbullah and ex-Iraqi agents, Geostrategy-Direct.com will report in tomorrow's new weekly edition.

U.S. intelligence first identified a stream of tractor-trailer trucks moving from Iraq to Syria to Lebaon in January 2003. The significance of this sighting did not register on the CIA at the time.

U.S. intelligence sources believe the area contains extended-range Scud-based missiles and parts for chemical and biological warheads.

Mutually-lucrative Iraqi-Syrian arms transactions are nothing new. Firas Tlas, son of Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlas, has been the key to Syria's rogue alliance with Iraq. He and Assad made hundreds of millions of dollars selling weapons, oil and drugs to and from Iraq, according to the May 13, 2003 edition of Geostrategy-Direct.com.

The CIA now believes a multi-million dollar deal between Iraq and Syria provided for the hiding and safekeeping of Saddam's strategic weapons.

Not surprisingly, U.S. inquiries in Beirut and Syria are being met with little substantive response, U.S. officials said.

[lepton]

In addition to not finding any WMDs, they fail to explain why the WMDs weren't launched within 45 minutes as Blair had claimed they could be,

Because they were hiding the chemical weapons rather than setting them up. How long does it take to fuel and prep an airplane to take off under normal conditions...a bit longer if its been buried in the sand.

[swarthyguy]

Dittoes. They have been right on a number of occasions when what they reported is subsquently reported in a mainstream publication.

The US moving from Sultan AFbase in Saudi to Qatar, for instance.

And today's report in the Guardian citing Osama in Northern Pakistan/Kashmir. The uknowho said so in Sep/Oct 2001.

Many others, too.

[swarthyguy]

Dittoes. They have been right on a number of occasions when what they reported is subsquently reported in a mainstream publication.

The US moving from Sultan AFbase in Saudi to Qatar, for instance.

And today's report in the Guardian citing Osama in Northern Pakistan/Kashmir. The uknowho said so in Sep/Oct 2001.

Many others, too.

[Cobra64]

"The significance of this sighting did not register on the CIA at the time."

Paging George Tenet. Mr. Tenet, are you awake, or still asleep at the switch?

Christ, what a bunch of dolts in the CIA. A 10 year old could have figured this one out!

[billbears]

Yep, pretty bad picture agreed. But human injustices was not the main reason given for the war now was it? BTW, funny how the government of these United States could turn its head in the 80s from the travesties but all the sudden in 2003 it's the world's most important concern to get rid of Hussein?

How's that war going in North Korea? Oh, I forgot, our government gave that dictator 40,000 tons of food earlier this year. How many North Koreans are dying daily in that nation? And they admitted to building nuclear warheads

So what can we learn from this? Chemical weapons programs bad, get invaded. Nuclear weapons programs good, get food?

[alpowolf]

Well, were they hiding them, or deploying them? Which is it?

[cake_crumb]

"I accept God by faith, everyone else has to supply evidence"

Something tells me you won't accept evidence of WMDs.

[Walkingfeather]

need to study my geography so I may get flamed here... but If we just blew up both sides of the valley and caved in the valley floor would be be done?

[RoughDobermann]

It's pretty simple: Iraq, at the very least, did have (as demonstrated by their use) chemical weapons. These have not been accounted for (e.g., no evidence of their destruction). They are, therefore, in violation of the cease fire of 1991. That is enough reason, IMO, to commence hostilities. If you disagree, fine.

[lepton]

In addition to not finding any WMDs, they fail to explain why the WMDs weren't launched within 45 minutes as Blair had claimed they could be,

Because they were hiding the chemical weapons rather than setting them up. How long does it take to fuel and prep an airplane to take off under normal conditions...a bit longer if its been buried in the sand.

It was said that Iraq had weapons systems that could be pulled out for firing and launched within 45 minutes of an attack order being given. That's not the same as saying that they've got the stuff deployed for launch.

[cajungirl]

the last hope to contain these madmen,,if Bush doesn't do it, if the dems and people like you who won't use common sense and substitute instead naive cynicism, the cynicism of the congenital doubter who believes nothing he doesn't see in front of him and doesn't understand or know how to use intuition and evidence to come to a reasonable opinion, they will become stronger and more apt to launch something horrible beyond imagining. You are silly with your distrust of a good man who sees the intelligence and who cares about this country. You are the kind of person I don't want watching my back and don't trust. You are truly naive.

[Peach]

Good point(s).

[A Navy Vet]

"The significance of this sighting did not register on the CIA at the time."

Oh please. Talk about disinformation for the masses. The CIA has definitely made some mistakes, but not one CIA analyist to suspect weapons transfer? BS

[PISANO]

What is this? Who says we can get them? Iran and Syria? Ex-Iraqi agents or Hezbullah? Give me a break. If we KNOW where they are located NO ONE can stop us from getting them.

[cake_crumb]

"I accept God by faith, everyone else has to supply evidence"

Wonderful. That must be where the raisons for the homocide bombers come from too.

You're right. We should go to the source before we bother with Lebanon. Syria. Then Lebanon, if there's anything left of it after the political party of freedom fighters lobs rockets and mortars over the border into Israel again, pushing Israel over the edge.

[billbears]

No, as I said if evidence is provided, and I mean more than rhetoric from the administration, I will believe it. Otherwise I will not

[CyberAnt]

Just remember one thing - one bad call does not signal that a whole organization is bad.

Yes .. we know there are holdovers from x42's goons. But .. even if the guy hid the intel or ignored it - there is no way for us to know. Besides .. I do believe all intel organizations were very busy at the time.

And .. since DEBKA already announced this info several months ago - I don't really think the CIA missed it. Actually, I'm rather glad the stuff was removed - it meant our troops would not be subjected to the stuff - AND WE KNEW THAT INFO GOING IN - at least we could surmise that.

[hchutch]

And we're watching North Korea very closely.

If they try to export nuclear weapons, the delivery is NOT going to go through.

"Oops, sorry, the CO of the USS Chicago had NO IDEA that torpedo tube was loaded with a warshot..."

[Cobra64]

Then all of the sudden, out of the blue, 'intelligence' reports tell us, 'oops, they were moved four months before the war but we just didn't know why all those transfer trucks were moving'? What did they think it was?!?

I'd bet they thought they were getting ready for the 'Back-to-School' sales at Sears and JC Pennys.

[RoughDobermann]

How's that war going in North Korea? Oh, I forgot, our government gave that dictator 40,000 tons of food earlier this year. How many North Koreans are dying daily in that nation? And they admitted to building nuclear warheads

I agree that the NKs are a threat, and a threat that may have to be dealt with eventually. The difference is that the NKs haven't done anything yet. They haven't invaded a neighbor since 1951. Iraq did and we fought them. Part of the cease fire agreement was that they account for and destroy their WMDs. They did not.