Groups Seeking to Carry out Assassinations in Lebanon Backed by Major Intelligence Agencies

The sides that are seeking to carry out assassinations in Lebanon are too powerful to be thwarted by the local authorities, revealed security circles to al-Joumhouria newspaper on Thursday.

They said that these groups “are backed by major intelligence agencies that have dedicated billions of dollars for them.”

Theses sides are keen on carrying out their attack during the peak of the sectarian tensions in Lebanon and the region, they added.

They voiced their conviction that these groups are planning to execute a series of assassinations and Lebanon and the region.

They noted however that the fears over the assassinations rises and decreases with the various religious tensions in the region, most notably those fueled by television programs and the media.

“They have since been stoked by the news of various massacres that have been committed by the Syrian army in Syria,” said the security circles.

These news have been exploited by various powers on the ground to fuel the tensions even further as demonstrated by the recent clashes in the northern city of Tripoli, they explained.

The clashes erupted on Saturday in light of the arrest of Islamist Shadi al-Mawlawi.

The development sparked clashes between the rival neighborhoods of Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh and Alawite Jabal Mohsen, which have killed at least nine people and wounded 50.

Other reports have spoken of an intention to end the stability in Lebanon and once again turn it into an open ground for regional conflicts, the security circles told al-Joumhouria.

Such a plan is aimed at “passing the time in light of the ongoing negotiations between regional and international powers, which have also placed the Syrian crisis on the negotiating table,” stated the circles.

Speaker Nabih Berri confirmed on Wednesday a list of politicians and figures targeted by extremist groups, describing the threat as serious and dangerous.

According to NBN, he called on security agencies to follow up the issue.

Meanwhile, a prominent security source denied the existence of such a list, while a high-ranking source from a major security agency confirmed the threats.

“These are various serious threats and they target Lebanese figures from the March 8 and 14 camps,” he told al-Mustaqbal daily in remarks published on Thursday.

“Terrorism does not have an identity, religion, or affiliations as it can reach all sides,” he stated.

“The information on the threats is a culmination of major efforts by Lebanese and international intelligence,” he added.

Local newspapers reported on Wednesday that international countries warned Lebanese officials that a terrorist group - linked to an extremist organization, has infiltrated the country recently to carry out “sabotage” operations.

According to As Safir newspaper, the information coincided with similar data obtained by Lebanese security agencies.

Speaker Nabih Berri and several other senior Lebanese officials might be the target of a security threat by the terrorist group.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea escaped an assassination attempt on April 4.

In January, security agencies urged Berri and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat to take precautions as they might be the target of an assassination plot.

On Tuesday, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported that the security agencies succeeded in the past few days in uncovering a terrorist network with local, Arab, and European links.

It said that the confessions of one of the detainees led to the arrest of al-Mawlawi.