High Noon In South Lebanon

The Debkafile reports that a suspected feud between al Qaeda and the Palestinian Fatah was confirmed by a January 15th al Qaeda communiqué assigning blame for the March 2003 death by carbomb of Palestinian Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali, aka Abu Mohammed Al Masri, aka Farouq al-Masri, al Qaeda's chief of operations in southern Lebanon. The communiqué vowed ..."to avenge the blood of our brother Al Masri". This was the first time that al Qaeda acknowledged Ali as one of their operatives, and also the first admission that they are operating in Lebanon, and in a Palestinian refugee camp.

The Dread Pundit Bluto recognizes legitimate grievances on both sides of this dispute and encourages them to go at each other like frenzied weasels.

Update: (1-18-2005) Though this story has been picked up by several Middle Eastern news sources, so far there's nothing in the American press.

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