Product Description
Before September 11, 2001, one terrorist group had killed more Americans than any other: Hezbollah, the “Party of God.” Today it remains potentially more dangerous than even al Qaeda. Yet little has been known about its inner workings, past successes, and future plans–until now.

Written by an accomplished journalist and a law-enforcement expert, Lightning Out of Lebanon is a chilling and essential addition to our understanding of the external and internal threats to America. In disturbing detail, it portrays the degree to which Hezbollah has infiltrated this country and the extent to which it intends to do us harm.

Formed in Lebanon by Iranian Revolutionary Guards in 1982, Hezbollah is fueled by hatred of Israel and the United States. Its 1983 truck-bomb attack against the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut killed 241 soldiers–the largest peacetime loss ever for the U.S. military–and caused President Reagan to withdraw all troops from Lebanon. Since then, among other atrocities, Hezbollah has murdered Americans at the U.S. embassy in Lebanon and the Khobar Towers U.S. military housing complex in Saudi Arabia; tortured and killed the CIA station chief in Beirut; held organizational meetings with top members of al Qaeda–including Osama bin Laden–and established sleeper cells in the United States and Canada.

Lightning Out of Lebanon reveals how, starting in 1982, a cunning and deadly Hezbollah terrorist named Mohammed Youssef Hammoud operated a cell in Charlotte, North Carolina, under the radar of American intelligence. The story of how FBI special agent Rick Schwein captured him in 2002 is a brilliantly researched and written account.

Yet the past is only prologue in the unsettling odyssey of Hezbollah. Using their exclusive sources in the Middle East and inside the U.S. counterterrorism establishment, the authors of Lightning Out of Lebanon imagine the deadly future of Hezbollah and posit how best to combat the group which top American counterintelligence officials and Senator Bob Graham, vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, have called “the A Team of terrorism.”


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Islam on the march
This is one of the many books available which describes the many ways in which the Islamic world is at war with the West. Israel in the midst of Islamic countries is under constant attack. Until the origen of Israel Jews were living in moslem countries for centuries but only as "dhimmies" a hated and persecuted minority. Moslems simply can not accept the fact that Jews could defeat them in battle. They believe that American soldiers in Israeli uniforms have defeated them, certainly not Jews.
Lightening Out of Lebanon is only one of many good books which explain the Middle East and what we can expect to get even worse.

Highly Readable, Penetrating Look into Hezbollah's U.S. Presence
The leafy suburbs of Charlotte, N.C. seem an unlikely place for a Hezbollah base of operations.Yet it was there that a group of Shia Lebanese emigres gathered in a home to watch videos proclaiming "death to America."

Readability is a hallmark of this book, which recounts how U.S. federal and local law enforcement collaborated to break up the Hezbollah Charlotte cell.Members were using seemingly innocuous cigarette smuggling and other illicit activities to raise massive amounts of funds for Hezbollah.U.S. investigators arrested several members in July 2000, with guilty verdicts being handed down in late June 2002.

Authors Barbara Newman and Tom Diaz present the legal and bureaucratic obstacles that investigators faced when trying to prosecute the Hezbollah cell.One was the FBI's "Chinese Wall," a series of restrictions that prevented information sharing between agents working on criminal cases, and those dealing with terrorism.In the Charlotte case, aggressive investigators were able to craft innovative means to skirt these obstacles and break up the cell.

The authors argue that tough, aggressive measures are needed to combat terrorists on American soil, and believe that these can be effective without damaging the liberties that Americans hold most dear.

They make a number of other important claims, some of which were corroborated in the U.S. government's 9/11 Commission report.One is that notwithstanding sectarian differences, there is extensive cooperation between Sunni and Shia terror groups, including Al Qaida and Hezbollah.

Beyond alerting Americans to the presence of terrorists on our soil, this book is a valuable contribution to the debate on how we should deal with the problem.U.S. government officials at home and abroad would do well to read it, and reflect on it.

Obviously the vast majority of Arab-Americans, Muslims included, are peaceful, upstanding citizens who make a vital contribution to American diversity, in-tune with our immigrant heritage.Yet this book is an eerie reminder that hostile groups do exist, retaining a lethal ability to strike.Hezbollah's strong ties to Iran make this an especially disturbing possibility.As the authors note, Hezbollah's 1992 and 1994 Argentina attacks on Jewish interests also sent a clear message to the U.S.:we can do in America what we did here.

Those who want to do us harm will always have the advantage of exploiting our society's freedoms.Yet one hopes that the lessons of the Charlotte case and the 9/11 attacks will lead American authorities to increase their vigilance and aggressiveness without destroying civil liberties.Barbara Newman and Tom Diaz believe this balance is possible.

This book would have been stronger, and more credible, with more substantiation.To take one example, the authors assert that Hezbollah perpetrated the 1996 Khobar Towers attack in eastern Saudi Arabia.While this is a highly probable claim, there is no definitive proof that establishes Hezbollah's involvement, as far as I know.If there is documentation or testimony that would lend weight to the claim, the authors should have cited it.Otherwise, they should have acknowledged the ambiguity involved.

Scare Tactics, Volume 2 million
While I respect the authors and the research which they did in order to complete this book, I feel that it is yet another "Scare Tactic" type book which not only perpetuates this sense of fear and of "demons lurking around every corner" that is so prevalent in America today, but it also demonizes Arabs, Muslims and Arab countries.

The book mentions frequently a village named Bourj-al-Birajneh, and describes it to be a very dirty, horrible village, that is filled with smells of stale urine and garbage.It makes this village seem barbaric,filthy and uninhabitable.This is completely false and is nothing more than pure propaganda designed to paint an image for the reader of a demon barbaric "Other" who should be feared.

I have BEEN to this village, and spent time visiting family in Beirut, which is nearby Bourj-al-Birajneh.I have traveled extensively throughout the entire Middle East,and in every village, city, and country which I have visited, I have met the most giving, generous, and hospitable people.

Yes, this village mentioned in the book is very impoverished.... but usually, places that have very little money and have experienced a decade+ long civil war usually are run down. Note my sarcasm and eye roll. However, unlike the authors would like us to believe, the people of this village are not barbarians.They are some of the most hospitable people that I have ever met.People who do not even know you welcome you into their homes, and offer you of what they have to drink and to eat.

As far as the mentions of Hezbollah terror cells on American soil,I think this is just another scare tactic meant to make the average American afraid of anyone Muslim or Arab.And do you realize what happens when you give in to this fear? You allow people/groups such as Al-Qaida to accomplish their goals, and that is to instill fear in people.

I am more afraid to go into any inner-city American city than I am to walk in Bourj-al-Birajneh, or any Arab town for that matter.

(...)

Sensationalist Schlock
Are there individuals in the U.S. who sympathize with and support Hizballah? Yes.

The authors of this wild-eyed sensationalist work make the jump from this to warning that around every corner, or rather behind every Arab-owned business, is a terror cell ready to unleash a second 9/11 on American soil.

I'm happy to eat my hat if there's a terrorist attack in the U.S. that can be CLEARLY TRACED BACK to Hizballah. Until that time, though, I'd say that this book does more to blur the lines than connect the dots.

A timely, objective, eye-opening look at Hezbollah
I was particularly interested in this book because I live reasonably close to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I remember being pretty surprised at the news in 2000 that a cigarette-smuggling ring of Hezbollah operatives had been broken up in the Queen City.My interest waned fairly quickly, though, as I thought of the suspects as criminals rather than terrorists.Back before 2001, you just didn't think about terrorists planning to take their murderous jihad to American soil - especially North Carolina.Of course, such perceptions changed after 9/11, and the story of law enforcement's success in crippling this particular terror cell is of paramount interest to me now.Lightning Out of Lebanon: Hezbollah Terrorists on American Soil is a real eye-opener.Besides making an unassailable case that Hezbollah terror cells are operating within numerous United States cities right now, it shows just how lax and inefficient our counterterrorism efforts were and still are, how uncooperative "friendly" governments can be in terrorist matters, and how obscenely easy it has been for terrorists to gain illegal entry into the country and establish themselves here.The ring leader of the Charlotte Hezbollah cell even secured a government small business loan to aid him in his money-raising efforts.The book is also inspirational and hopeful, however, as it shows how effective our law enforcement and security agents can be when they work together as equals.

This is not just the story of the Charlotte Hezbollah cell; Lightning Out of Lebanon gives an insightful overview of Hezbollah itself - its history, tactics, and deadly potential.According to the authors, Hezbollah is potentially much more dangerous than Al Qaeda because it is much more efficient, disciplined, and organized.And Hezbollah is most certainly here in America - in numerous cities from coast to coast.Today, these terrorists may only be engaging in criminal activities as a means for raising blood money, but tomorrow, at just a word from their bosses in Lebanon and Iran, they could awaken and commit terrible acts of mass murder and destruction in our very heartland.

It is infuriating to see just how easily a Hezbollah cell such as the one in Charlotte could prosper.These terrorists' secret has always been to fly under the radar and to engage in criminal activities that, in and of themselves, don't seem to be all that substantial.Smuggling cigarettes from North Carolina to tax-happy Michigan was unlikely to generate much more than a slap on the wrist (or to generate too much concern from potential Tarheel juries).Immigration Services were so prostrate and overloaded that the bad guys didn't even have to make fake IDs and personal documents - they could easily get them from agencies such as the DMV and Social Security themselves.The Charlotte ring leaders had multiple IDs provided by these official agencies.Multiple fake marriages were rarely discovered, providing terrorists with an easy way to remain in the country.The whole situation would be funny if it weren't so disastrously pathetic.In many ways, the Charlotte cell ran its operations from a Domino's Pizza establishment and even got a number of unscrupulous American acquaintances to take part in their nefarious crimes - Mohammed Hammoud's American wife, for example, came to serve as the true mastermind behind the group's highly profitable criminal schemes.

Fortunately, a number of dedicated law enforcement officials and prosecutors weeded out the true nature of Hammoud's organization - but it wasn't easy.It is always shocking to go back and see just how hamstrung our nation's defenders were before 9/11 thanks to the "China Wall" erected between criminal investigators and intelligence agents.You can't win many games when your own teammates aren't allowed to speak to one another.It took a man of daring and vision to get around that wall and get something done.FBI man Bob Clifford was such a man, and his strategy of deliberate aggressiveness proved very successful in the Charlotte case (despite Janet Reno's great concern over violating the civil rights of the terrorists).Clifford and his team even managed to secure the cooperation of Canadian law enforcement in developing evidence for the trial in question.Winning foreign cooperation was and is a rare achievement.This book recounts a number of cases where supposedly friendly governments such as France and Italy not only protected wanted terrorists from American justice, they actually let them escape to kill another day.One of the Charlotte Hezbollah cell members is sitting fat and happy in Vancouver because the Canadians won't extradite him.With friends like these, who needs enemies?

This book really is a history of both Hezbollah terrorism and recent counterterrorism efforts of the United States.Both the culture of the Lebanese hotbed of Hezbollah recruiting and the culture of US intelligence/law enforcement agencies are penetrated with great insight and objectivity by the authors.For every murderous terrorist in this story, there is a determined American hero who overcame great obstacles (most of which were put in place by the U.S. government itself) to truly save the day and make America a little bit safer.

This book is a less than gentle reminder of the incredible threat terrorists still pose to Western democracies, especially the United States.Hezbollah, the authors pretty much prove, may well be a bigger threat than Al Qaeda - and that's a pretty disturbing revelation.Having revealed all of the weaknesses of past counterterrorism efforts, the authors conclude by putting forth a number of recommendations on how to better reform a system that is still broken.There could not be a more timely and perhaps more important read than Lightning Out of Lebanon - especially for those who unwittingly aid the terrorists by putting the civil liberties of fanatical Islamist killers over the security concerns of this country in a time of war.This book provides ample evidence that we must do more, not less, to protect ourselves from the bloodthirsty killers of Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, and other terrorist groups. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fascinating scholarship
The Shiite Muslims have been a real puzzle to me, and I have been reading everything that I can get my hands on these days.This book turned on the light for me in terms of how the Shiites gains political awareness.Although it was published in 1987, it is the best thing that I have seen.One wonders whether parallel developments will occur in Iraq.

Amal and the Shi'a
Well written explanation of Amal's (the Shia's) struggles during the lebanese civil war.A must read if you are interested in the current history of lebanon. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Dispelling a Myth about Lebanon's Shiites
Roger Shanahan does an amazing job not only by narrating the history of the Shiites of Lebanon, but also by providing a comprehensive context that makes of this book one of the rare books on Lebanon's history.
After a brief chapter on their history since old times and medieval ages, Shanahan starts tracing the history of the Shiites and of their socioeconomic and political formation. The author dispels an old myth that throughout history, the Shiites had always been powerless players relegated to the back seat. He proves that like other communities of Lebanon, the Shiite political leadership witnessed its ups and downs while it practiced feudalism in its Lebanese form since the 17th century. The fortunes of the Shiites changed drastically during the 1970s with the Islamic revolution in Iran and the funds the Iranian regime finding their way to the Shiites of Lebanon. Henceforth the Shiite leadership became a major powerhouse in Lebanon. ... Read more

Product Description
Lebanon Army, National Security And Defense Policy Handbook (World Business, Investment and Government Library) ... Read more

Product Description
Hamizrachi offers a fascinating examination of the emergence of the Israeli-controlled Security Belt and the rise of Lebanese Major Saad Haddad in South Lebanon. The detailed descriptions of events and people, often based on the author's personal experience, in the Lebanese kaleidoscope will give scholars, students, decision-makers, and journalists a better understanding of the ongoing internal struggle and the external pressures in Lebanon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An Excellent Book For the Study of Lebanon
Beate Hamizrachi's book is an incredible addition to any library dealing with Israeli-Lebanese relations, the "Security Zone" or on the early SLA (South Lebanon Army). Hamizrachi details the first connections between Israeli and the northern (Mount Lebanon area) Christian militia groups and with southern villages. Her first hand interviews with Saad Haddad are both interesting and informative. She additionally talks in detail (including the force numbers and even the types of weapons used) about the battles fought by Haddad's militia to secure south Lebanon from the PLO and Islamo-Leftist forces.

Based upon personal experiences of Yoram Hamizrachi.
Yoram Hamizrachi certainly must have been the major co-author of this book attributed to his wife Beate.A historical record of conflicts in Lebanon during the 1970s based upon first hand knowledge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Prismatic View of Lebanon's Second Republic
In October of 1998 I was privileged to attend a conference at Villanova University entitled "Lebanon in the Twenty-first Century." Since I have conducted a course on American foreign policy in the public sector over the last 16 years, I welcomed this rare opportunity to focus on this troubled country.
Recently, the elements of that conference were assembled into a single volume, edited by Kail C. Ellis, who is dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University, and founder and former director of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at Villanova.
This volume is comprised of articles written byseveral noted and dedicated authors including Ellis. One might call it a prismatic kind of study. Such an approach could lend an uneven quality to the book; however, itseditor, Kail C. Ellis, has clearly brought consistency in tone and texture to the overall reach of the book.
Each sectionconsists of an introduction as to whatwill be covered, an exploration of that specific material from appropriate perspectives, and conclusion/analysis. Since contributors have expertise in several different fields, the abundance of sources available in the footnotes couldbe targeted as the beginnings of tomorrow's research. This formula makes this volumeappealing to the general public, students and teachers.
Ellis's essential mission is twofold:First, to prime the reader on the confluence of Lebanon's intricate web of history, politics and religion as it became increasingly entwined with the geopolitical reality of its sensitive location, "sandwiched," as Ellis puts it, between its powerful neighbors, Israel and Syria. One increasingly comes to understand that Lebanon is but a microcosm of the most multi-dimensional problem haunting the world currently: the Israeli-Palestinian deadlock. Lebanon's lifeas a nation, in the Ellis perspective, is virtually "on hold" until this nagging, seemingly insolvable problem is addressed with some degree of authority.
Secondly, in his preface, Ellis states that, "Works on contemporary Lebanon are hardly an anomaly." Understanding Lebanon's past and present is but a prelude to predicting its seemingly ominous future. Ellis wants more. It is here this book gathers its strength, its case, because its layered approach forces the reader toread, learn andanalyze each sector of Lebanese society through the prism of several disciplines.
This representative litany of problems is offeredwith the realization that without further reading, such a listtends toward oversimplification.
One cannot even begin with thenow decade-old recovery from its civil war (1975-1990).A more likely place are theproblems inherent in thePalestinian refugee situation, for Lebanon is "home" to 400,000 Palestinians who began seeking refuge in Lebanon after the Israeli-Palestinian war (1948). Many still live in poverty in makeshift camps. Their presence directly affects Lebanon's unstable, tense political situation, its economy and fragile image. Here the indefinable Hizballah organization began operations.
And as ifthese "external" factors were not enough, there is the matter of Lebanon'saforementioned geostrategic position with its "neighbors" - Israel and Syria.Even considering that Israel has withdrawn from the southern border of Lebanon after a 22 year occupation, festering webs of distrust involvingHizballahcontinue to inflame the nerves of each country; Syria's 35,000man army within Lebanese borders isanother open wound.
Internally, here is a country where there are 18 different religious communities, primary among them Christian Maronites and Muslims.Despite tolerant "side-by-side" living under a traditional confessional political system which divided power among the religions, an updated version (under the Ta'if Agreement of 1989) altered this tenuous balance, becoming the catalyst for the exodus of thousands of Maronites. TheMaronites'historical affinity towards Israel, furthermore, has continued to provoke any state of quiesence, given the ongoing presence of Palestinians. Overt lack of American involvement in this destructive relationshipcreates additional cracks in the fault line.
Factor these complexities together with the following: a $25 billion dollar debt burden; an education system struggling to recover its former status as the "cultural and educational center of the Middle East;"an environment and eco system suffering the scourges of overpopulated cities, and "a total breakdown of state authority."Beirut,once known for its superior banking and commerce, longs for a return to its former glamorous statusas the "Switzerland of the Middle East."
Lacking, except for a onereligious leader in particular willing to agitate for the sake of a breakthrough for his country's sake, is dynamic leadership. Lebanon's "traditional" government does not add up to stablility; rather it isladen with laws and ideas long outdistanced by time and purpose.
Why does our conscience press us to care?Assertingthe need for America to exhibit some measure of their former interest, Ellisoffers his prescription:"In order to fulfill the dreams of a future revival,Lebanon needs the assistance of all those who support the rule of law, human rights, and a just peace in the Middle East."
For those so inclined, even in international relations, prayer remains a wonderful natural resource. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2007. The length of the article is 16833 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Lebanon.(Table)(Report)
Author: Alfred B. Prados
Publication: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs (Report)
Date: July 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: NA

Article Type: Report, Table

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Lebanon Diplomatic Handbook (World Business, Investment and Government Library) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Just watch for the age range...
I have NOT read this, but I almost bought it before I noticed the age range for this book is listed as 9-12 years old.Just a bit of warning if you are a serious historian or want to know more about the tragic bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983.My rating of three stars is NOT based on having read this, please know, just the age range. ... Read more

Product Description
The author underlines what he considers to be the "lessons of Lebanon" for US foreign policy in the greater Middle East and in the world at large. He suggests that the President must take the lead in policy formulation and interagency coordination; diplomacy and force must both be a part of balanced foreign policy; and "loose cannons" like Robert McFarlane and later, Oliver North, are as inevitable as they are disastrous when there is no policy leadership and when the interagency process breaks down. ... Read more