(Asharq Alawsat-UK) Thair Abbas - The wave of bombings that targeted Beirut and southern Lebanon and the arrest of several cells whose members have confessed to belonging to al-Qaeda, in addition to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claiming responsibility for an attack on Israel using Katyusha rockets, have all heightened the fear that al-Qaeda is seeking a permanent base in Lebanon. Security sources have indicated that a number of Lebanese and Palestinian extremists, who left for Iraq a few months ago to join the insurgency and fight against the Americans, have returned after strengthening their ties with al-Qaeda leaders. Four months ago, a new leadership emerged "under the leadership of the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine- General Command (Ahmad Jibril) in support of the Syrian security forces under the banner of "al-Qaeda." They include many Arabs who came in their thousands to Syria to cross illegally into Iraq.
2006-03-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive