Lightning Out Of Lebanon: Hezbollah Terrorists on American Soil - Softcover

Diaz, Tim; Newman, Barbara

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0891418709 ISBN 13: 9780891418702

Publisher: Presidio Press, 2006

Synopsis

Prior to 9/11, one terrorist group had killed more US citizens than any other Hezbollah, the Party of God . Hezbollah is an organisation of highly disciplined Muslim extremists: it was they who killed 241 US marines in Beirut in 1983, bombed the US embassy there, and kidnapped and tortured US citizens living in Lebanon. A Lebanese group of Shiite militants, Hezbollah has evolved into a major force in Lebanon s society and politics. Formed in Lebanon by Iranian Revolutionary Guards in 1982, it is fuelled by hatred of Israel and the United States. Hezbollah served as an inspiration to Palestinian factions fighting to liberate occupied territory, and was inspired by the success of the Iranian Revolution. The party originally dreamt of transforming Lebanon's multi-confessional state into an Iranian-style Islamic state. Its 1983 truck-bomb attack against the US Marine barracks in Beirut resulted in the largest peacetime loss ever for the US military, and caused President Reagan to withdraw all troops from Lebanon. Lightning out of Lebanon tells the story of Hezbollah's operations in the US. A cell in North Carolina is profiled, the members of which are the first terrorists ever convicted of violating a Federal statute banning the aiding of terrorist organisations. For ten years the cell engaged in military training and raised millions of dollars through illegal activity to support terrorists around the world. Using their exclusive sources in the Middle East and the US counter-terrorism establishment, the authors examine how best to combat the group Bob Graham, Vice-Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, described as the A team of terrorism .

About this title

Review:

'Lightning Out of Lebanon is a combination true-crime story, adventure tale, and wake-up call for America. Investigative journalists Barbara Newman and Tom Diaz have detailed the activities of the Lebanese-based Hezbollah terrorist organization in the United States and if you thought al Qaeda was the only terrorist group you had to worry about, think again. . . . A revealing account of the terrorists among us that should be required reading for all Americans.' --Neil C. Livingstone, author of Inside the PLO

'An eye-opener . . . reads like a novel, but documents in detail how operatives of what many call the 'A-Team of Terrorism' have taken advantage of our freedoms, legal loopholes, and defense weaknesses to set up support cells in communities all over America. But it also tells of a success story-how dedicated federal and local law enforcement officials broke up and successfully prosecuted a secret terrorist cell, leading to other investigations that continue today.' --Senator Joe Lieberman

About the Author:

BARBARA NEWMAN, author of The Covenant: Love and Death in Beirut, is a senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and is the founder of Barbara Newman Productions, Inc., which has produced numerous documentary films for Discovery Channel, A&E Network, the History Channel, and Showtime, among others. She was senior producer/creator of the Now It Can Be Told series, a nationally syndicated newsmagazine, and, before that, an investigative producer for ABC News's 20/20. She was also a correspondent for National Public Radio and hosted All Things Considered. TOM DIAZ is the author of Making a Killing: The Business of Guns in America. From 1993 to 1997 he was the lead Democratic counsel on counterterrorism issues, helping to write key antiterrorism legislation. He has recently served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice on the use of high technology by terrorists and as law-enforcement investigative tools. As a reporter he has covered conflicts and tensions in Central America, India, Pakistan, the former Soviet Union, and the closing days of the 1991 Gulf War.

About this edition

• Publisher: Presidio Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0891418709
• ISBN 13: 9780891418702
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272