Ghosts of Beirut (2023): Season 1, Episode 3 - Damascus - full transcript
The kidnapping of US soldiers draws the attention of Lena Asayran.
We, um... We can't find him.
We don't know where he is.
You're
following the dramatic flight
of TWA Flight 847,
which was hijacked
in Athens, Greece,
about seven hours ago.
We see
him all over the place.
He wanted
to make his brand known,
but not seen.
From Kuwait to
Latin America and everywhere,
it was Imad Mughniyeh.
In Argentina
today, 17 people died
when a bomb went off in
the capital, Buenos Aires.
It destroyed the headquarters
for the country's largest
Jewish organization.
I spent a lot
of years looking for him.
We worked on elaborate
plans to capture him.
No one was really sure
what he looked like,
where he lived
or what bank accounts
he survived on.
Kind of like a ghost
in this Middle East.
For many years,
there was a question
of how we can get an updated
photo of Imad Mughniyeh
because he started to
behave as a shadow man.
More than 3,000
pounds of explosive power
ripped the front
off the eight-story
military dorm in Dhahran.
Over the years, Hezbollah has
become a state within a state.
And it was getting
bigger and bigger.
This guy's not only winning,
he's winning in ways that
he hadn't even foreseen.
The
President was quick to say
that Iran's government
is behind attacks
on American troops in Iraq,
and that explosives
used in those attacks
were provided by an
elite Iranian unit.
Every meeting I had,
Mughniyeh came up.
This was a guy that was driven.
He was committed to his cause.
Before 9/11, he had killed,
or was responsible for killing
more Americans than
anyone else in the world.
In the
Middle East tonight,
Hezbollah attacked
an Israeli warship
off the coast of Lebanon.
You know, someday someone's
gonna have to take this guy out.
You've got to find him.
You've got to find Mughniyeh.
Radwan!
Mustafa.
Mustafa...
Don't move!
Don't fucking move!
- Move! Or I'll kill you!
- Okay, okay!
You're coming with us!
Don't resist! Do it!
Come on!
Don't worry.
It's gonna be okay.
Hey. It's Radwan.
Imad Mughniyeh. 100%.
Syria,
particularly Damascus,
would be a pretty safe
place for him to be,
in terms of the protection
he got from the Syrians.
It was a sanctuary, a
safe haven for them.
Syria was out of depression.
So, you know, once
you are in Syria,
you are immune.
I think
that Qassem Suleimani,
contrary to what might
be said by others,
was...
I wouldn't say admirer
of Imad Mughniyeh,
but he was listening
to him very carefully.
I would say that both
were thinking about
themselves as key players
in the takeover of
the Shia in Lebanon
and maybe in other places
in the Middle East.
I was the
Deputy Minister of Defense.
At my level, we don't
deal with foot soldiers.
Of course not. You dealt
with Imad directly.
Yes.
Occasionally, I told you.
So where did you meet?
Damascus. Blindfolded.
And I think your
ten minutes is up.
And what about this guy? Hmm?
He's bit older, around
the same age as Imad.
Definitely not a foot soldier.
Daqduq. Uh, special
missions guy.
I have no idea why Imad
even trusted this idiot.
So that's Daqduq,
one of your original
gang in Lebanon.
So, Daqduq is trying
to head into Iran
with four American hostages,
but the border is closed,
so he executes them.
He wouldn't make that
decision on his own, would he?
How should I know?
I was here, selling
my soul to your CIA.
- Where would he go?
- I don't know!
Southern Iraq, along
your supply routes?
There must be a safe house.
"Dear General Petraeus,
you should know that
I, Qassem Suleimani,
control the policy for
Iran with respect to Iraq,
Lebanon, Gaza and Afghanistan.
With regards to the
four American soldiers
killed in Karbala,
I swear on the
grave of Khomeini,
I haven't authorized
a bullet against US."
Tell the American it
was a gift from Radwan.
Asgari?
Imad...
Teddy.
Uh...
Hmm.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Meir...
Mm-hmm.
Eh...
Teddy...
Teddy...
We have a lot to
talk about, don't we, Daqduq?
Mm-hmm.
Wafa.
Daqduq.
Life is tough.
Okay.
Wissam...
Okay.
Imad.
Saada.
Imad...
Wissam...
help you
if I repeated the question?
No.
I'm
referring to the events
at the Provisional Joint
Coordination Center.
There's no fucking time!
Okay. Ask him about
Imad Mughniyeh.
He's a direct link.
That is not the focus
of our investigation.
Now, excuse me.
Tell me
about January 20th, 2007...
Yeah.
It's Mossad, for you.
- Really?
- Yeah.
It's the CTC line,
patched through Langley.
Have fun.
Yeah.
This is Lena?
Yes.
My name is, uh,
Teddy from Tel Aviv.
Hello, Teddy.
So, uh, we understand
that you have Daqduq.
The FBI has Daqduq.
Is he talking?
Yeah.
He's a barrel of laughs.
I think I could help.
Yeah, I bet you could.
Tell me, Lena.
Do you think Saada is
happy in her marriage?
Saada?
No, I think she's miserable.
Why, are you gonna kill her?
We have a capability
that can help us both,
regarding Radwan.
I thought you
called about Daqduq.
I think we should meet.
- He wants to meet.
- The Mossad?
Yeah, they want a
piece of Daqduq,
and he has something in return.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Hello,
Teddy. Welcome to Camp Bilad.
Morning, Lena.
I've never met a
Mossad guy before.
Really?
What do you think?
Have a seat.
So I've been asked to play nice.
Me, too.
But I'm a little impatient
to meet our mutual friend.
CIA and Mossad
are always driven by the need
to keep their secrets
to themselves,
to keep their sources
to themselves,
to keep all their
sensitivities to themselves.
This is an obstacle.
Because when you
are in cooperation,
you need to open up.
Do you know what we call you?
Daqduq the Mute.
'Cause you sit here silent,
quiet, not saying anything.
You remind me a lot of Ali-Reza.
He didn't say anything
at first, but...
then he told us everything.
Just like you're about to.
So here's what I know.
Radwan was at the Karbala raid
because he didn't trust you
not to fuck everything up.
Which you did.
And so now you've
pissed him off.
And you've pissed
off Qassem Suleimani.
And those are two
people you really,
really don't wanna piss off.
So what I wanna know
is all the details of how
Radwan worked with you
to plan the attack that
killed our soldiers.
You know what?
I sleep very well in here.
A five-star cell.
You can speak.
You don't play music
anymore to your prisoners?
That's fine with me.
I hate acid rock.
You like that song, don't you?
I'll let my friend from Tel Aviv
talk to you about your future.
I'm going to make this as
short as possible for you.
And actually, you can help
me make it even shorter.
We can talk here or
we can talk in Israel.
Which do you prefer?
Come on.
Did Imad plan Karbala?
He...
He was ordered to do it.
By Qassem Suleimani.
Did he plan it?
Yes.
Was he there?
Yes.
Yes, yes.
Did Imad plan Karbala?
Yes.
- Was he there?
- Yes.
Yes, yes.
This is
personal for you.
You wanna know
about my Hezbollah cousin.
Not me.
But there are questions.
If your army didn't stick
around so long in Lebanon,
maybe he would be doing
something else with his life.
I haven't seen him in 25 years.
Back then, he was a nice kid.
Let's talk.
I need you to tell me
everything you have on Imad.
Come on, Lena. We
all have our secrets.
How did you find Daqduq?
Ali-Reza Asgari told
me where to find him.
He defected. He's with us now.
Ali-Reza.
Imad's recruiter back in '82.
Yeah, I'm aware of the history.
We can track him.
Imad, his movements.
Not precisely, not
always consistently,
but we think close enough.
Okay.
So now Daqduq has confirmed
that Imad ordered
the Karbala raid,
which means he's an
imminent threat to the US.
I think I can get us a
presidential finding.
A presidential finding?
So you guys want to kill him?
No.
What I want is to
have him go on trial
and have him face his sins.
But apparently, we
don't do that anymore.
No, we don't.
Imad.
Imad...
- Hey, Mike.
- Have a seat, Lena.
I ordered you home.
I was needed
in the field.
And now you've decided
we're worth a visit.
I wanted to talk
to you face to face.
Since you sicced
the Mossad on me.
How did you enjoy that?
I told them we have Ali-Reza.
- What?
- Lena, that is not your call.
Come on. We were
always gonna tell them.
Our highest ranking
defector from Iran ever?
What did you get in return?
Imad Mughniyeh.
They've been tracking him.
We need assets on the ground.
I need to run the op.
Me and the Mossad goon
will do it together.
We don't run
joint ops with the Mossad.
They have the intel,
we have the resources.
No, Lena, you can't.
If something went
wrong on the ground...
- We couldn't help.
- I still have my cover.
Are those for rent?
You need the
public listings.
Try my colleague.
Teddy...
You are
the one who called?
- Yes.
- Okay, please.
This
is the apartment.
Welcome. Have a seat.
These are gifts
from our embassy.
They are for general
surveillance,
patterns of movement
in the neighborhood.
- It's all set.
- Okay, thanks.
Good to see everybody
got to Damascus safely.
We're ready to go.
Okay.
- Maia.
- Sure.
We think there are 15 different
apartment buildings
in Kafr Sousa,
which the Iranians
use as they please.
We need to cover
the neighborhood
until we know exactly
where and when they meet.
Which is usually
every two weeks.
So Suleimani should
be in Damascus soon.
And what about Imad?
He's also on his way.
I saw his star trail.
His star trail?
I'm sorry. Who are you?
I track Imad.
- How long?
- Ten years.
And for the past six months,
I've listened to Saada's phone.
Wissam's, too, the boy.
Nice to meet you.
Okay, so how much
time do we have?
I'd say 36 hours.
We gave each building
a different call sign.
Jaafer, Ayoub, and so on.
It's the
diplomatic neighborhood.
Same as us.
They must
feel safe there.
You
like this building?
Yes, it's very nice.
The broker is
supposed to meet us here.
Looks old, but with so much
fresh air, it's gonna be great.
It's for us.
Act normal.
Who the hell is that?
Mm-hmm.
Shit.
Uh, Lena, don't engage.
Lena, please stay where you are.
Lena...
If anything happens,
wait for the embassy
to contact you.
Okay.
Tanya, I was looking
everywhere for you.
Lena.
We got
the list of apartments.
Lena, don't engage.
Passport.
Yeah. Don't worry.
Okay, let's
go see the apartment, yeah?
Okay.
Okay.
Wafa...
Hey.
Lena, I have a headache.
Take something.
I know, I know. I'm
a baby sometimes.
But I get a headache when I
don't understand something.
Now, Imad lives his whole
life in the shadows.
He's the best operative ever.
He's so careful,
he's so precise.
But these recent
movements of his,
I cannot comprehend.
He meets Suleimani in Damascus.
- Makes sense.
- Yes, of course.
But why so often?
They have a lot to talk about.
Maybe.
But he's moving a lot of
money from South America.
I know. I saw the intel.
Do you think Imad
is trying to do
an end run around Suleimani?
I don't know. It's
something different.
Hello.
Lena.
Imad's son is in Damascus.
Wissam. We're tracking him.
Send me the coordinates.
Sending over to you now.
Think about it.
He'd been running for years.
He'd been doing it for
years. He got comfortable.
And when he got
comfortable, he slipped up.
And someone saw him,
or someone got a
piece of intel, and...
Lena, you're
looking for Al Ward Street.
Uh, you'll see a
mosque opposite a park.
Yes, it's a big crossing.
- Closer?
- No, this is fine.
Holy shit.
Saada...
- Lena.
- Teddy, my friend.
Yes, Lena.
I'm sending
you a present.
We don't know where he is.
You're
following the dramatic flight
of TWA Flight 847,
which was hijacked
in Athens, Greece,
about seven hours ago.
We see
him all over the place.
He wanted
to make his brand known,
but not seen.
From Kuwait to
Latin America and everywhere,
it was Imad Mughniyeh.
In Argentina
today, 17 people died
when a bomb went off in
the capital, Buenos Aires.
It destroyed the headquarters
for the country's largest
Jewish organization.
I spent a lot
of years looking for him.
We worked on elaborate
plans to capture him.
No one was really sure
what he looked like,
where he lived
or what bank accounts
he survived on.
Kind of like a ghost
in this Middle East.
For many years,
there was a question
of how we can get an updated
photo of Imad Mughniyeh
because he started to
behave as a shadow man.
More than 3,000
pounds of explosive power
ripped the front
off the eight-story
military dorm in Dhahran.
Over the years, Hezbollah has
become a state within a state.
And it was getting
bigger and bigger.
This guy's not only winning,
he's winning in ways that
he hadn't even foreseen.
The
President was quick to say
that Iran's government
is behind attacks
on American troops in Iraq,
and that explosives
used in those attacks
were provided by an
elite Iranian unit.
Every meeting I had,
Mughniyeh came up.
This was a guy that was driven.
He was committed to his cause.
Before 9/11, he had killed,
or was responsible for killing
more Americans than
anyone else in the world.
In the
Middle East tonight,
Hezbollah attacked
an Israeli warship
off the coast of Lebanon.
You know, someday someone's
gonna have to take this guy out.
You've got to find him.
You've got to find Mughniyeh.
Radwan!
Mustafa.
Mustafa...
Don't move!
Don't fucking move!
- Move! Or I'll kill you!
- Okay, okay!
You're coming with us!
Don't resist! Do it!
Come on!
Don't worry.
It's gonna be okay.
Hey. It's Radwan.
Imad Mughniyeh. 100%.
Syria,
particularly Damascus,
would be a pretty safe
place for him to be,
in terms of the protection
he got from the Syrians.
It was a sanctuary, a
safe haven for them.
Syria was out of depression.
So, you know, once
you are in Syria,
you are immune.
I think
that Qassem Suleimani,
contrary to what might
be said by others,
was...
I wouldn't say admirer
of Imad Mughniyeh,
but he was listening
to him very carefully.
I would say that both
were thinking about
themselves as key players
in the takeover of
the Shia in Lebanon
and maybe in other places
in the Middle East.
I was the
Deputy Minister of Defense.
At my level, we don't
deal with foot soldiers.
Of course not. You dealt
with Imad directly.
Yes.
Occasionally, I told you.
So where did you meet?
Damascus. Blindfolded.
And I think your
ten minutes is up.
And what about this guy? Hmm?
He's bit older, around
the same age as Imad.
Definitely not a foot soldier.
Daqduq. Uh, special
missions guy.
I have no idea why Imad
even trusted this idiot.
So that's Daqduq,
one of your original
gang in Lebanon.
So, Daqduq is trying
to head into Iran
with four American hostages,
but the border is closed,
so he executes them.
He wouldn't make that
decision on his own, would he?
How should I know?
I was here, selling
my soul to your CIA.
- Where would he go?
- I don't know!
Southern Iraq, along
your supply routes?
There must be a safe house.
"Dear General Petraeus,
you should know that
I, Qassem Suleimani,
control the policy for
Iran with respect to Iraq,
Lebanon, Gaza and Afghanistan.
With regards to the
four American soldiers
killed in Karbala,
I swear on the
grave of Khomeini,
I haven't authorized
a bullet against US."
Tell the American it
was a gift from Radwan.
Asgari?
Imad...
Teddy.
Uh...
Hmm.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Meir...
Mm-hmm.
Eh...
Teddy...
Teddy...
We have a lot to
talk about, don't we, Daqduq?
Mm-hmm.
Wafa.
Daqduq.
Life is tough.
Okay.
Wissam...
Okay.
Imad.
Saada.
Imad...
Wissam...
help you
if I repeated the question?
No.
I'm
referring to the events
at the Provisional Joint
Coordination Center.
There's no fucking time!
Okay. Ask him about
Imad Mughniyeh.
He's a direct link.
That is not the focus
of our investigation.
Now, excuse me.
Tell me
about January 20th, 2007...
Yeah.
It's Mossad, for you.
- Really?
- Yeah.
It's the CTC line,
patched through Langley.
Have fun.
Yeah.
This is Lena?
Yes.
My name is, uh,
Teddy from Tel Aviv.
Hello, Teddy.
So, uh, we understand
that you have Daqduq.
The FBI has Daqduq.
Is he talking?
Yeah.
He's a barrel of laughs.
I think I could help.
Yeah, I bet you could.
Tell me, Lena.
Do you think Saada is
happy in her marriage?
Saada?
No, I think she's miserable.
Why, are you gonna kill her?
We have a capability
that can help us both,
regarding Radwan.
I thought you
called about Daqduq.
I think we should meet.
- He wants to meet.
- The Mossad?
Yeah, they want a
piece of Daqduq,
and he has something in return.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Hello,
Teddy. Welcome to Camp Bilad.
Morning, Lena.
I've never met a
Mossad guy before.
Really?
What do you think?
Have a seat.
So I've been asked to play nice.
Me, too.
But I'm a little impatient
to meet our mutual friend.
CIA and Mossad
are always driven by the need
to keep their secrets
to themselves,
to keep their sources
to themselves,
to keep all their
sensitivities to themselves.
This is an obstacle.
Because when you
are in cooperation,
you need to open up.
Do you know what we call you?
Daqduq the Mute.
'Cause you sit here silent,
quiet, not saying anything.
You remind me a lot of Ali-Reza.
He didn't say anything
at first, but...
then he told us everything.
Just like you're about to.
So here's what I know.
Radwan was at the Karbala raid
because he didn't trust you
not to fuck everything up.
Which you did.
And so now you've
pissed him off.
And you've pissed
off Qassem Suleimani.
And those are two
people you really,
really don't wanna piss off.
So what I wanna know
is all the details of how
Radwan worked with you
to plan the attack that
killed our soldiers.
You know what?
I sleep very well in here.
A five-star cell.
You can speak.
You don't play music
anymore to your prisoners?
That's fine with me.
I hate acid rock.
You like that song, don't you?
I'll let my friend from Tel Aviv
talk to you about your future.
I'm going to make this as
short as possible for you.
And actually, you can help
me make it even shorter.
We can talk here or
we can talk in Israel.
Which do you prefer?
Come on.
Did Imad plan Karbala?
He...
He was ordered to do it.
By Qassem Suleimani.
Did he plan it?
Yes.
Was he there?
Yes.
Yes, yes.
Did Imad plan Karbala?
Yes.
- Was he there?
- Yes.
Yes, yes.
This is
personal for you.
You wanna know
about my Hezbollah cousin.
Not me.
But there are questions.
If your army didn't stick
around so long in Lebanon,
maybe he would be doing
something else with his life.
I haven't seen him in 25 years.
Back then, he was a nice kid.
Let's talk.
I need you to tell me
everything you have on Imad.
Come on, Lena. We
all have our secrets.
How did you find Daqduq?
Ali-Reza Asgari told
me where to find him.
He defected. He's with us now.
Ali-Reza.
Imad's recruiter back in '82.
Yeah, I'm aware of the history.
We can track him.
Imad, his movements.
Not precisely, not
always consistently,
but we think close enough.
Okay.
So now Daqduq has confirmed
that Imad ordered
the Karbala raid,
which means he's an
imminent threat to the US.
I think I can get us a
presidential finding.
A presidential finding?
So you guys want to kill him?
No.
What I want is to
have him go on trial
and have him face his sins.
But apparently, we
don't do that anymore.
No, we don't.
Imad.
Imad...
- Hey, Mike.
- Have a seat, Lena.
I ordered you home.
I was needed
in the field.
And now you've decided
we're worth a visit.
I wanted to talk
to you face to face.
Since you sicced
the Mossad on me.
How did you enjoy that?
I told them we have Ali-Reza.
- What?
- Lena, that is not your call.
Come on. We were
always gonna tell them.
Our highest ranking
defector from Iran ever?
What did you get in return?
Imad Mughniyeh.
They've been tracking him.
We need assets on the ground.
I need to run the op.
Me and the Mossad goon
will do it together.
We don't run
joint ops with the Mossad.
They have the intel,
we have the resources.
No, Lena, you can't.
If something went
wrong on the ground...
- We couldn't help.
- I still have my cover.
Are those for rent?
You need the
public listings.
Try my colleague.
Teddy...
You are
the one who called?
- Yes.
- Okay, please.
This
is the apartment.
Welcome. Have a seat.
These are gifts
from our embassy.
They are for general
surveillance,
patterns of movement
in the neighborhood.
- It's all set.
- Okay, thanks.
Good to see everybody
got to Damascus safely.
We're ready to go.
Okay.
- Maia.
- Sure.
We think there are 15 different
apartment buildings
in Kafr Sousa,
which the Iranians
use as they please.
We need to cover
the neighborhood
until we know exactly
where and when they meet.
Which is usually
every two weeks.
So Suleimani should
be in Damascus soon.
And what about Imad?
He's also on his way.
I saw his star trail.
His star trail?
I'm sorry. Who are you?
I track Imad.
- How long?
- Ten years.
And for the past six months,
I've listened to Saada's phone.
Wissam's, too, the boy.
Nice to meet you.
Okay, so how much
time do we have?
I'd say 36 hours.
We gave each building
a different call sign.
Jaafer, Ayoub, and so on.
It's the
diplomatic neighborhood.
Same as us.
They must
feel safe there.
You
like this building?
Yes, it's very nice.
The broker is
supposed to meet us here.
Looks old, but with so much
fresh air, it's gonna be great.
It's for us.
Act normal.
Who the hell is that?
Mm-hmm.
Shit.
Uh, Lena, don't engage.
Lena, please stay where you are.
Lena...
If anything happens,
wait for the embassy
to contact you.
Okay.
Tanya, I was looking
everywhere for you.
Lena.
We got
the list of apartments.
Lena, don't engage.
Passport.
Yeah. Don't worry.
Okay, let's
go see the apartment, yeah?
Okay.
Okay.
Wafa...
Hey.
Lena, I have a headache.
Take something.
I know, I know. I'm
a baby sometimes.
But I get a headache when I
don't understand something.
Now, Imad lives his whole
life in the shadows.
He's the best operative ever.
He's so careful,
he's so precise.
But these recent
movements of his,
I cannot comprehend.
He meets Suleimani in Damascus.
- Makes sense.
- Yes, of course.
But why so often?
They have a lot to talk about.
Maybe.
But he's moving a lot of
money from South America.
I know. I saw the intel.
Do you think Imad
is trying to do
an end run around Suleimani?
I don't know. It's
something different.
Hello.
Lena.
Imad's son is in Damascus.
Wissam. We're tracking him.
Send me the coordinates.
Sending over to you now.
Think about it.
He'd been running for years.
He'd been doing it for
years. He got comfortable.
And when he got
comfortable, he slipped up.
And someone saw him,
or someone got a
piece of intel, and...
Lena, you're
looking for Al Ward Street.
Uh, you'll see a
mosque opposite a park.
Yes, it's a big crossing.
- Closer?
- No, this is fine.
Holy shit.
Saada...
- Lena.
- Teddy, my friend.
Yes, Lena.
I'm sending
you a present.