Al Qaeda in Lebanon

The top al Qaeda operative in Lebanon was killed earlier today in a car bomb attack. The operative, Abu Mohammad al-Masri, was identified by the Israelis as “a terrorist leader who was deeply involved in the plot to attack American and Israeli targets in Jordan in 1999.” Reuters reports that “Lebanese officials have repeatedly denied reports that al Qaeda members are holed up in Palestinian refugee camps like Ain el-Hilweh, which Lebanese authorities do not enter and are controlled by Palestinian factions.” It appears most likely that Masri was killed by a rival terrorist group.
We will know that President Bush’s plan to bring freedom to the Arab world is making progress when the Palestinian “refugee camps” that dot the Middle East are disbanded.