The NY Sun's Eli Lake has a pretty incredible story today. A political leader from the Iranian- and Syrian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah tells two former CIA operatives in a recent meeting that in the aftermath of 9/11, an American official approached the group to feel out cooperation in the war on terror. The Bush White House denies it. But Milt Bearden, who recently met with Hezbollah officials at a European-backed open session in Beirut, says the Hezbollah official insists on the US overture:

Mr. Bearden recalled that the leader of the Hezbollah delegation said: "The Americans came to us after 9/11 wanting to open a dialogue, at a political level. ... 'It came through the Israeli gate,' meaning the Israelis brokered it." Mr. Bearden added that the representative said his organization would "be open to a direct approach from the Americans."

Another former CIA operations officer who was there, Graham Fuller, told The New York Sun the message was delivered by Hezbollah's chief of international relations and top political adviser, Nawaf Mousawi.

Lake unpacks a lot of information in this piece, which necessarily has a lot of "he said, he said" dispute as the White House will not admit to any such overtures. But reading it, it seems the other side of the piece Sy Hersh reported on Syria-US cooperation in the aftermath of 9/11. Lake's piece is a fascinating glimpse as well of a European channel to Hamas, Hezbollah, Pakistan's Jemaat Islamiya, and the Muslim Brotherhood. Go read.

Posted by Laura at April 11, 2005 11:54 AM