BEIRUT CORE EAC MEETING FEBRUARY 21, 2008

Reference ID 08BEIRUT285
Date 2008-02-22 01:44
Released 2010-12-01 19:07
Classification SECRET//NOFORN
Origin Embassy Beirut





VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLB #0285 0531344
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 221344Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1100
INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 4324
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 1284
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 3690
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 3429
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1320





S E C R E T BEIRUT 000285

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

STATE FOR DS/CC; DS/DSS/ITA; DS/IP/NEA; NEA/EX
POSTS FOR RSO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/21/2018
TAGS: ASEC, PTER, LE
SUBJECT: BEIRUT CORE EAC MEETING FEBRUARY 21, 2008

Classified By: DRSO Michael Coady for reason 1.4 (d)

1. (S) At 1730 hours of February 21, 2008, Charge Sison
convened a meeting of the Core Emergency Action Committee
(EAC). Present were DCM, RSO and GRPO.

2. (S) Core EAC discussed the anonymous phone threat to the
Embassy of Kuwait in Beirut. On the morning of Thursday,
February 21, 2008 an anonymous called telephoned the Embassy
of Kuwait and stated that two rockets would be fired at the
Embassy and that all occupants should leave immediately.
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and Lebanese Internal Security
Forces (ISF) responded to the scene. The Embassy of Kuwait
is under renovation and was not fully occupied. Contacts
within ISF told Embassy officers that the call was a hoax and
that the call may have been prompted by the incident in
Kuwait where a commemoration was held for Imad Mugniyeh. Some
Shiite Members of Parliament are being sued by four Kuwaiti
lawyers regarding the commemoration ceremony. The ISF will
investigate the hoax to determine who made the call.

3. (S) Core EAC also discussed a letter that was sent to
Embassy Beirut's Public Diplomacy Section on Thursday,
February 21, 2008 by the Al Anwar newspaper. Al Anwar
received a letter in Arabic from a group that calls
themselves "The Sons And Those Who Love Hajj Radwan in
Lebanon (NOTE: Hajj Radwan was an alias for Imad Muniyeh).
The letter states "February 12 is not like February 14 or 15
or any other day after February 12. We are now standing
before a decision and a pledge we took. Israel and its
interests are our target, the US, its centers, its citizens
and its Embassy will only encounter, after today, anger and
fire particularly this area which is over our chests in
Awkar. Let them start packing their things and prepare to
leave. We do not want those who are killing us and those who
are assisting them over our land. After today, we will not
allow them to move freely in our areas and allow them to
spread their poison among our families. This is a promise
and a pledge. Death is coming and burning fire will burn the
land under their feet. We have warned them" The group is
not known to the Embassy. GRPO and RSO are in contact with
their respective counterparts to further investigate this
unknown group. Given that threat is not yet substantiated
and credibility of the group is unknown, Core EAC decided not
to upgrade security procedures at this time. Embassy Beirut
already operates at a high level of readiness. Core EAC will
monitor the situation as more information becomes known.

4. (SBU) RSO expressed concern that with the current
restrictions on unofficial moves, some travel patterns were
becoming too familiar. For example, there were many moves to
the City Mall shopping complex and to shopping areas north of
the embassy. RSO recommended that the area for unofficial
moves be extended south to the ABC Mall in Ashrafiye. This
will be for the mall only; travel to other sites in Ashrafiye
such as restaurants and bars is still not an available option
for unofficial moves. This area is located approximately 10
kilometers from the US Embassy in Awkar. The action will
mean Embassy staff are moving in different directions for
shopping and movements are less predictable. Core EAC
approved this recommendation effective the weekend of
February 23-4.

SISON
08BEIRUT331 Date04/03/2008 04:13 OriginEmbassy Beirut


Source: Wikileaks