EXCLUSIVE: Hezbollah Poised to Strike?

[Desertdog]

EXCLUSIVE: Hezbollah Poised to Strike?
Officials Say "Sleeper Cells" Activated in Canada
By RICHARD ESPOSITO and BRIAN ROSS
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5203570&page=1


Intelligence agencies in the United States and Canada are warning of mounting signs that Hezbollah, backed by Iran, is poised to mount a terror attack against "Jewish targets" somewhere outside the Middle East.

More PhotosIntelligence officials tell ABC News the group has activated suspected "sleeper cells" in Canada and key operatives have been tracked moving outside the group's Lebanon base to Canada, Europe and Africa.

Officials say Hezbollah is seeking revenge for the February assassination of Hezbollah's military commander, Imad Mugniyah, killed by a car bomb in Damascus, Syria.

The group's leaders blamed Israel, an allegation denied by Israeli officials.

There is no credible information on a specific target, according to the officials.

Suspected Hezbollah operatives have conducted recent surveillance on the Israeli embassy in Ottawa, Canada and on several synagogues in Toronto, according to the officials.

Latin American is also considered a possible target by officials following Hezbollah's planning.

A senior US counter-terrorism official told ABC News, "There are concerns Hezbollah might be ready to do something along those lines."

Three US law enforcement agencies say they have been briefed on the developments by intelligence agencies.


A spokesperson for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service says the agency does not comment on the existence of ongoing intelligence operations.

Officials say the CIA, the NSA, and British and Canadian intelligence agencies began to pick up a steady stream of information - from electronic intercepts, human sources and surveillance - about a possible Hezbollah attack on Feb. 17, just days after the Beirut funeral of Mugniyah where Hezbollah leaders publicly declared they would seek revenge.

"They want to kill as many people as they can, they want it to be a big splash," said former CIA intelligence officer Bob Baer, who says he met with Hezbollah leaders in Beirut last month.

continued on pg2: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=5203570&page=2

[Manedwolf]

No specific target, nothing, etc...

They really need to quit crying wolf like this.

[Nitrogen]

Intelligence agencies release this drek to cover themselves should anything ever happen.

Having said that, I really hope they try it here.  If Hamas thinks they have it bad with Israel harassing us, wait until they give us an excuse to get involved.

[Nick1911]

Having said that, I really hope they try it here. 

I'm not really a huge fan of innocent people dying.

If Hamas thinks they have it bad with Israel harassing us, wait until they give us an excuse to get involved.

So we can spend a few billion, get some soldiers killed, then pull out in a few years because of the leftist media and people forgetting the reason we're even in there, and leave a power vacuum that makes things worse then before?

[Nitrogen]

Having said that, I really hope they try it here. 

I'm not really a huge fan of innocent people dying.

me either.  If we had an intelligence division worth a damn, it wont' happen here.

If Hamas thinks they have it bad with Israel harassing us, wait until they give us an excuse to get involved.

So we can spend a few billion, get some soldiers killed, then pull out in a few years because of the leftist media and people forgetting the reason we're even in there, and leave a power vacuum that makes things worse then before?

Jeez.  You're going to make me sound like one of those crazy righties, but here goes:
You attack us, we go after you, with extreme prejduice.  That's what the men and women who sign up for the armed forces sign up for, to protect America from her enemies.  I'm betting if Hamas tried something here, you'd have people volunteering to go.

I guess what I'm getting at, is yes, I'm biased.  Hamas and their ilk are BAD GUYS. 
It'd be nice to have a legitimate reason to go and kill them, instead of making one up.

[Manedwolf]

Here we go again...WHAT COLOR CODE?! 

WASHINGTON   The federal government will tell 7,000 businesses next week that they are considered high risk-terrorist targets because they house large amounts of chemicals.

The sites  which range from major chemical plants to universities, food processing centers and hospitals  will need to complete a vulnerability assessment so the government can decide how to regulate their security measures in the future.

U.S. intelligence officials say terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda, favor chemical attack methods because of the severe consequences they can inflict.

"I'm trying to complicate these guys' lives," said Bob Stephan, assistant secretary of infrastructure protection at the Homeland Security Department.

Imposing varying security measures at sites across the country not only secures the materials inside the sites, but it creates a more difficult operation for the terrorists, he indicated.

"This is never going to be an impregnable target set, but I want to introduce enough complexity into the mix that Al Qaeda's going to go somewhere else," Stephan told reporters Friday.

Earlier this year, 32,000 businesses with large amounts of chemicals had to complete an online survey that the Homeland Security Department used to determine which facilities' security measures should be regulated. The list was pared down to 7,000. These businesses will go through another vulnerability assessment, and the department will place them into four categories, based on the risk they face.

Homeland security inspectors will eventually visit the highest risk facilities each year to make sure they are complying with enhanced security measures. If these sites do not comply, they could face hefty fines and could ultimately be shut down until they meet federal security standards. As the department considers these 7,000 sites, it also will look at physical security; cyber security; insider threat potential; how hazardous a chemical release could be to the nearby communities; how dangerous the chemicals are if they are mixed with water; and whether the chemicals could be easily stolen from the sites and used to kill.

The list of the 7,000 sites will not be publicly released because of security reasons, the department said.

Congress gave the department the authority to regulate certain chemicals after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,369564,00.html

Someone must have felt like they needed to make busywork for a promotion.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

"That's what the men and women who sign up for the armed forces sign up for, to protect America from her enemies."

that would be someone other than you or your kids, right?

[Desertdog]

"That's what the men and women who sign up for the armed forces sign up for, to protect America from her enemies."

that would be someone other than you or your kids, right?

Is that aimed at one person or class of persons?

As for me and my family, World War II, my fater and stepfather served in the Army; during the Korean War my two brothers served in the Marines; I served  in the Air Force from1955 to 1959, my son Steve spent 20 years  in the Navy, my son-in-law spent 20 years in the Navy, my son Chuck spent 8 years in the Marines with one year in Iraq, my grand son Jason is in the Navy at this time.

So you are not talking to me.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

definitely not you  was aimed at the poster who made the quoted remark

[agricola]

No specific target, nothing, etc...

They really need to quit crying wolf like this.

Indeed.  If they did have agents or electronic intelligence inside Hezbollah, the media would be the last people to find out.

[roo_ster]

"That's what the men and women who sign up for the armed forces sign up for, to protect America from her enemies."

that would be someone other than you or your kids, right?

How many years did you spend in the armed, forces, yourself?

The chickenshiite chickenhawk argument.  How I despise it.

[De Selby]

The reality of the situation is that Hizbullah has gained so much since the 2006 war with Israel that it has absolutely no interest in conducting a large scale terrorist attack.  It has nothing to prove-it already shattered the myth of the Mossad/IDF juggernaut.

My prediction is that the retaliation, if any, for Israel's provocative assassination of Imad Muggniyeh is that Hizbullah will show off its intelligence muscle by assassinating an Israeli agent somewhere.  They will likely choose someone low profile and unknown to the press, but whose killing will be an unmistakeable message to Israel that Hizbullah has the capability to penetrate its intelligence network and to harm it.

They'll leave a figleaf for the Israelis, so that they can take the hit without having to drop some more bombs in retaliation (which would be the case if Hizbullah carried out a high profile attack.) 

[Scout26]

Here we go again...WHAT COLOR CODE?! 

Puce....

[Nitrogen]

"That's what the men and women who sign up for the armed forces sign up for, to protect America from her enemies."

that would be someone other than you or your kids, right?

You don't know a thing about me, so I wouldn't assume anything.  You're assuming wrong.
I'd have joined if they'd have taken me, thank you very much. 

My grandfather was in naval intelligence, and ended up dying, although inadvertantly, for his country.
Most of the rest of my family escaped the same kind of hatred that Hamas teaches now.

What made you say that? Whatever made you THINK that?