LEBANON: HIZBALLAH GOES FIBER OPTIC

Reference ID 08BEIRUT523
Date 2008-04-16 04:42
Released 2010-12-01 19:07
Classification SECRET//NOFORN
Origin Embassy Beirut


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DE RUEHLB #0523/01 1071642
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 161642Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1544
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 2418
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC




S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 BEIRUT 000523

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/YERGER, STATE FOR NEA/ELA,

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2018
TAGS: PTER, ECPS, PINR, LE, IR, SY
SUBJECT: LEBANON: HIZBALLAH GOES FIBER OPTIC

REF: BEIRUT 490

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Michele Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d)

SUMMARY

1. (S) Requesting a special meeting with Charge,
Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh decried the
establishment of a complete fiber optics network by Hizballah
throughout Lebanon. The GOL has been sharing this
information widely among friends of Lebanon, to include the
governments of France, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the UAE.
Hamadeh sees only two choices for the GOL: approach the UN
Security Council, or use the "cover" of March 14-friendly
municipalities to cut the lines. However, he questioned
whether the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Internal
Security Forces (ISF) have the "guts" to do so, given that
Hizballah already stated to Lebanese security officials that
it would view this as equal to an Israeli act of aggression,
and would then take action against the GOL. Hamadeh hopes
that Saad Hariri, now in Geneva, will return soon to Lebanon
so that March 14 can meet to formulate a strategy. End
summary.

GOL HAS BEEN SHARING
HIZBALLAH FIBER OPTIC MAP,
REPORT WIDELY
-------------

2. (S) &Iran Telecom is taking over the country!8 were the
first words out of the mouth of Minister of
Telecommunications Marwan Hamadeh when he met with Charge and
Econoff on April 16. He was referring to the discovery of a
complete fiber optic system (FiOS) installed by Hizballah
throughout Lebanon - reftel. In addition, Hizballah has
introduced Wi-Max in Beirut's southern suburbs. Hamadeh
pointed out that although Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation
(LBC) television had run a story the previous night about the
Hizballah FiOS network, it was already widely known. The LBC
story was not planted by the GOL, nor planned, but in
Hamadeh's opinion it was no bad thing to get the story out
there. Hamadeh himself has been sharing the news both within
the GOL and outside, with &friends,8 which includes the
Arab countries, the U.S., France (Sarkozy was &stunned") and
Terje Roed-Larsen of the UN. He briefed Bernard Kouchner,
Jean-David Levitte, Boris Bouillon and Michel Barnier while
in Paris. In Beirut he spoke to Charge Andre Parent of
France and Ambassador Abdul Aziz Khoja of Saudi Arabia. Saad
Hariri, when he heard, sent a private plane from Saudi Arabia
to pick up a copy of the map, which traces in detail the
route of the system, to share with Saudi King Abdullah and
Intelligence Chief Prince Mukrin bin Abdul-Aziz. PM Siniora
briefed the Jordanians and Emiratis, as well as Arab League
SYG Amr Musa on the network during his recent trip around the
region, Hamadeh confirmed. Within Lebanon Hamadeh says that
the first person he told, after the Prime Minister and Druze
leader Walid Jumblatt was Maronite Patriarch Sfeir. Hamadeh
described the strategic implications of the Hizballah plan,
which he says is targeting the Christian areas, despite a
denial of that by Hizballah. In addition to Hamadeh and PM
Siniora, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and Defense Minister
Michel Murr have been active in the GL information campaign
on the network.

INTERFERENCE IN TELECOMS
LINKED TO NETWORK
-----------------

3. (S) While the confrontation over the FiOS system was
taking place with Hizballah, mobile telecommunications were
being subject to interference by Syria in the north, Israel
in the south and possibly by the UN at sea, according to
Hamadeh. The information about Israeli interference was
passed &unofficially8 by UNIFIL, since, in a recurring
complaint by Hamadeh during the conversation, the LAF has not
reported any problems officially. The Syrian interference is
similar to that occurring during the Nahr al-Barid fighting,
and highlights the ability of the Syrians to communicate
within Lebanon through non-Lebanese mobile systems. Because
the system in the part of Syria bordering on northern Lebanon
is a private company, MTM, Hamadeh believes that they offer
political cover to the Syrian government, who he nevertheless
believes is behind the problem. Hamadeh views these events
as part of the same strategic interference in Lebanon, both
internally and externally. Hamadeh has a map that delineates

BEIRUT 00000523 002 OF 004

the interference, in an arc that runs from the north to the
south of Lebanon.

MARCH 14 NEEDS TO MEET,
BUT SAAD SHOULD BE THERE
------------------------

4. (S) Hamadeh said that he, the Prime Minister and Minister
of Defense Elias Murr are all danger, but he and Murr will
take the biggest risk in exposing the Hizballah FiOS network.
Hamadeh told the PM that he could not assume the risk alone
for a showdown with Hizballah. He also used the risk of
physical harm as a deterrent with Jumblatt, who wanted to
hold a press conference to expose the Hizballah system.
Hamadeh believes that this is a March 14 issue, and cannot be
resolved without the participation of Saad Hariri. Hamadeh
complained that there has not yet been either a March 14
meeting or a cabinet meeting to discuss this matter. He says
he asked for such discussions in a meeting with PM Siniora
April 15, and will raise it again when they meet April 16.
Hamadeh also discussed the issue with Larsen, whom he met
with recently in Paris, although he did not give Larsen the
map. If the GOL decides to raise the issue with the United
Nations Security Council (UNSC) he will then provide the map,
said Hamadeh.

HIZBALLAH RESPONSE
- DON'T TOUCH!
--------------

5. (S) Hamadeh reported that LAF G-2 Brigadier General
Georges Khoury and ISF Major General Ashraf Rifi saw Wafiq
Safa, the Hizballah liaison to the Lebanese intelligence
services, together. Khoury asked Safa to take down two parts
of the network as a first step; Safa refused. Safa stated
that the network is part of Hizballah's ability to defend
Lebanon, and that Hizballah would regard any attack on the
network as an act of aggression. However, PM Siniora only
got a written report from Khoury ten days after the meeting,
Hamadeh complained. Even then, the report was unsigned and
thus returned to Khoury for signature. According to their
report, Hizballah argued that the PM, Hamadeh and Murr are
only raising the issue of the FiOS system in order to bring
up the issue of Hizballah weapons. Safa stated categorically
that the FiOS system is not up for discussion because it is a
key part of the Hizballah arsenal. Safa freely acknowledged
to Rifi and Khoury that the network exists. It could only be
discussed as part of a defense strategy, he said, adding that
the network has no commercial or trade implications. He
maintained that it does not penetrate the Christian areas.

HIZBALLAH ASSERTIONS UNTRUE
-----------------

6. (S) Hamadeh believes both Hizballah assertions to be
untrue. He refutes the Hizballah claim that the system
exists solely to give them defensive communications
throughout the country, saying that there are ¢rales8
or hubs in many villages along the route, and no doubt these
have lines running off to other villages and residences. He
also believes that Hizballah crews are only waiting for the
snows in the Christian regions of Metn and Kswaran to melt
before completing penetration of these regions from the east.

WORK DONE UNDER
VARIOUS FORMS OF COVER
-----------------

7. (S) To complete the installations and at the same time
stay below the radar, Hamadeh says that Hizballah has used
the municipalities to issue local permits. For example, in
Sidon they are working under the cover provided by Abdel
Rahman Bizri, the mayor. In another case the Ministry of
Energy issued a permit for work that was &to reinforce
energy lines,8 although Hamadeh says that was clearly not
true. Hamadeh says that the whole of the Bekaa valley was
done with local permits, and installations were done by
different groups, each unaware of what the others were doing.
However, he also says that some of the work was done with
the knowledge of resigned Minister of Energy Fneish, a
Hizballah member.

DISCOVERY AND REPORT
--------------------

8. (S) The first official report was from the region of

BEIRUT 00000523 003 OF 004

Chouifat, which reported installation of an unknown fiber
optic system, and asked the Minister of the Interior to stop
it. No one did anything because, in Hamadeh's opinion, they
&had no guts.8 At the time of the earlier exposure of the
Hizballah telephone lines running through Beirut, and even
along the wall of the French embassy, the GOL asked Hizballah
to remove those lines, which Hizballah did, and Hamadeh said
that he believed at the time that would be the end of the
network in the south. The full Ministry of
Telecommunications report on the system was compiled by
engineers in the ministry and others, including Shia
engineers from the south, who Hamadeh believes could be in
great danger because of the report. Once again Hamadeh
pointed out that there were no official reports yet from ISF
Major General Rifi or LAF G-2 Brigadier General Khoury.

FUNDING FROM IRAN
-----------------

9. (S) The current installations, as per the map Hamadeh has
given us, shows lines running from Beirut, around both sides
of the airport, into the south below the Litani and back up
through the Bekaa valley to the far north. It covers the
Palestinian camps, and the Hizballah training camps in the
Bekaa, and is penetrating deep into the Christian Metn and
Ksarwan areas. Although Hamadeh says he has &a few names,8
he did not list the companies who are responsible for the
installation, but said that information would be made
available shortly. He cited the Iranian Fund for the
Reconstruction of Lebanon as the source of the funding. This
same group has been rebuilding roads and bridges since the
July 2006 war with Israel, and has been accused before of
installing telecommunications lines in parallel with new
roads. Hamadeh said that he wants to get the list of
companies involved and black list them with the GOL.

STRATEGIC VICTORY
-----------------

10. (S) Hamadeh highlights the system as a strategic victory
for Iran, since it creates an important Iranian outpost in
Lebanon, bypassing Syria. He sees the value for the Iranians
as strategic, rather than technical or economic. The value
for Hizballah is the final step in creating a nation state.
Hizballah now has an army and weapons; a television station;
an education system; hospitals; social services; a financial
system; and a telecommunications system. As a sign of its
confidence Hizballah official Safa told Khoury and Rifi that
any move against the FiOS system would be taken as &an
Israeli attack8 and dealt with accordingly. When Khoury and
Rifi pointed out that the people in the area might not accept
this and might show hostility to Hizballah in this case, Safa
replied, &We don't care; we will accept hostile reactions.8
At that point, according to Hamadeh, the GOL decided it
needed to inform its friends and make a decision on the next
steps to be taken.

HAMADEH PREPARES
INTERNAL CAMPAIGN
-----------------

11. (S) Meanwhile, Hamadeh is preparing a &very strong8
internal campaign. This campaign, he said, has the potential
to &destroy8 Aoun and mobilize Christians, as well as
influence those Shia who are already beginning to worry about
Hizballah. He is waiting for a March 14 meeting to discuss
this campaign. Saad has apparently traveled to London and
Geneva this week, and is expected to be back in Riyadh by
4/20. Saad has been out of Lebanon for some several weeks
and it is not known when he will return. Hamadeh sees only
two choices for the GOL: approach the UN Security Council
directly, or take on Hizballah by cutting lines. But do the
Lebanese security forces have the "guts" for that, or are
they frightened by Safa's statement that those actions would
be considered an act of aggression, he wonders.

12. (S) Comment: Last year, when Hamadeh's
telecommunications ministry "discovered" the well-known
Hizballah telephone system, including the line strung along
the wall of the French embassy, he maintained that the GOL
would not tolerate the erosion of its "last monopoly" by
Hizballah, However, aside from the ceremonial cutting of the
French embassy line, there was no further action. This time
around, it appears that by sharing as widely as possible the
details of the plan, the GOL may hope that someone else will
take on the challenge. End cmment.

BEIRUT 00000523 004 OF 004

SISON



Source: Wikileaks