Ghosts of Beirut (2023) s01e01 Episode Script

Hey, how's it going?
Hey, man. All good, thanks.
Excuse me?
Grenade!
Don't move! Don't fucking move!
You!
You're coming with us.
Don't resist! Do it!
There are indoor-outdoor Jacuzzis
connected to each bedroom,
and yet also protected from the cold.
Wow.
How about you? How was your day?
Hang on.
Duty officer.
Okay.
I gotta go. Bye.
This was two hours ago in Karbala.
Our vehicles, our uniforms.
- And they drove right in?
- Yeah.
Civilian admin center, lightly guarded.
They wounded two American soldiers
and captured two of
our liaison officers.
And where are the hostages?
Whoever did this
was heading towards Iran.
Play the intercept.
- That's a Lebanese accent.
- In Iraq?
We have a live feed near the border.
I'm on my way. Send in Task Force.
Don't touch anything.
This is how we found them.
Hey, it's Radwan.
Imad Mughniyeh. 100%.
Imad Mughniyeh has
maintained a sort of a
aura of mystery
throughout his existence.
Everybody was looking
for Imad Mughniyeh.
But we couldn't find him.
This story, it's one
of the most complicated,
morally ambiguous stories that I know.
And it then unfolds into,
really, a nightmare story.
He was the absolute
Machiavellian mastermind
of a lot of the violence
against Westerners, against America,
against fellow Lebanese even.
He is the guy behind everything.
This was yesterday in Karbala.
What do you know
about the team who did this?
I was there. It looked
very professional.
Iran would never do anything like this.
So, when was the last time you saw Imad?
Which Imad?
Imad Mughniyeh.
Radwan, Abu Dukhan.
Where did you say you're from?
- Michigan.
- Yeah.
Ah.
These attackers were Lebanese.
And they were trying
to take their hostages
over the border, into Iran.
Now, why would they do that?
Either you're a Christian Maronite
and you hate me,
or you're a Shia Muslim,
and you need to prove
yourself to your bosses.
My family had to flee Lebanon.
Do you wanna know why?
It's because of people like you.
That's enough.
We brought you here
to ask one simple
question about yesterday.
Yesterday, Lena, in Iraq.
Not to scare off the Deputy
Defense Minister of Iran,
who, by the way, is singing like a bird
about their nuclear program.
This is what's important today.
Steve, this is the same group.
This is Radwan, okay?
It's the same guy from 25 years ago,
same guy who's outplayed us ever since.
I was there. You don't
need to remind me.
I can pin him to Radwan.
He was his recruiter.
This is our best chance.
So tell me about your friend Imad.
That's you in the training camp
you set up in Lebanon, right?
Um
This is all you have?
That was 25 years ago.
What I have is a taxi ready
to dump you back in Iran,
where I understand General Soleimani
is not willing to protect you anymore.
How much did you steal?
20 million?
Sixty?
Ali-Reza
come on.
He was your recruit.
I really wanna know.
There he is, our peacemaker.
- Congratulations, Bob.
- Thank you.
Welcome home, Bob.
Robert Ames was revered.
He was a role model.
This is what you wanna be.
You wanna be someone who
is a classically good spy,
but also has tremendous substance.
Robert Ames was a genuine
American hero in my book.
He was sort of like the
traditional American ideal.
Um, not loud, not pushy,
but tough and smart.
The PLO are already out of Beirut.
Now, the Israelis need to leave Lebanon.
We secure the Israeli-Lebanese
border here with UN troops,
and we initiate peace negotiations
between the Israelis and the Arabs.
In the meantime,
we consolidate stability in Lebanon
and eventually push
to disarm the militia and
strengthen the military.
If we play this right,
I'm confident we'll be
able to move all parties
to a genuine two-state solution.
Beautiful.
Got something to say, Dewey?
No. Who can argue against world peace?
You know what, Dewey, fuck you!
Whoa, Bob, forgive me for
living in the real world.
But this? Again?
- This is naive. This is dangerously naive.
- Oh, calm down, everyone.
All right, listen.
President wants this to work, all right?
He does. So good work.
Good work, everybody.
Take a breath.
Thanks, John.
Dewey, good work.
All right.
Something you want to tell me?
Yeah, it's about Iran.
Oh. We got the revolution boxed in.
Don't worry, all right?
Two operatives close to the
Ayatollah just paid a visit to Lebanon
around the same time someone purchased
an old colonial police
station in the Bekaa Valley.
And the satellites are indicating
that it's, uh, being renovated.
I think they're opening
a training camp there
under the auspices of the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- Oh, Jesus.
- Yeah.
Expand the revolution, yeah.
Attack while you're most vulnerable.
- So, what do we do?
- We don't fuck it up.
- Ames residence.
- Oh, hey. Hi.
Oh, hi.
How's my favorite city in the world?
Still beautiful, even after
eight years of civil war.
Hey, uh, bring me back
some of that fig jam again, will ya?
Fig jam. It's already on the list.
How are you feeling?
Good. Yeah, good.
What could go wrong, right?
- Short of everything?
- Or nothing.
I'll vote for nothing.
I miss you. I gotta go, though.
- I love you.
- I love you, too.
All right, bye.
I wouldn't say he was pro-Arab
or pro-Israeli.
He was a realist.
And there is a way this could be done,
a genuine two-state solution.
Robert, my friend.
- Good to see you.
- Yeah, good to see you, too.
How is Chairman Arafat?
He was sorry to leave Beirut.
He's waiting for your next move now.
This is from the President.
A framework of peace.
President.
Where's his signature?
One thing at a time.
And what about the Israelis?
They will withdraw also, right?
We will use all our leverage.
Please tell Chairman Arafat
that the President is counting on him
to keep things quiet while
the Israelis withdraw.
Yeah. We'll keep quiet. Yeah, for sure.
But, uh, you see, when, uh
When Arafat left Beirut, he
He gave the keys to our
armory to a former bodyguard.
And the thing is, the Iranians
have made contact with him now.
Do you have a name?
He only uses nicknames.
Radwan.
Nothing else.
Friends, friends.
Thank you. Good evening.
Thank you so much for coming tonight.
We are here to honor
an historic occasion,
a new President,
and a new opportunity for
Lebanon and the region.
My message from our president
is that we Americans
all sincerely believe
that a just settlement is possible.
And by just, I mean one
that takes into account
the legitimate needs off all persons,
all religions, and all factions.
Hear, hear.
That future is within our grasp now
if we have the courage
to seize the moment.
- To a new Middle East.
- To a new Middle East.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Bachir Gemayel,
the newly-elected President of Lebanon,
has been assassinated.
Within minutes of his assassination,
Gemayel's militias
began extracting revenge,
tipping Lebanon to the breaking point,
and putting America's
regional peace plan
in danger of total collapse.
Perhaps as many as 1,000 people in all
have been massacred
in two Palestinian refugee
camps in West Beirut.
The United States and Israel,
locked in a grave policy confrontation
as a result of this
weekend's bloody massacre
of Palestinian civilians in West Beirut,
considered their next move today.
Unless Israel moves quickly
and courageously to withdraw,
it will find itself ever more
deeply involved in problems
that are not its own and
which it cannot solve.
President Reagan hopes
the presence of 800 Marines in Beirut
will stabilize the situation
and pressure Israel to withdraw.
This is all within the context
of the power struggle in Lebanon.
Various people are not pro-Khomeini
or anti-American.
The problem is that things are
fundamentally out of control.
I believe nobody is controlling
this area anymore, you know.
Not the Shia, not Iran,
not United States of America,
not the Soviets, nobody.
It's some sort of cocktail.
Cocktail, you know,
a terrorist cocktail.
As the death
toll from this week's massacres
passes 2,000 civilians,
Lebanon's population is traumatized,
desperate to escape the chaos
that has engulfed this
once-peaceful country.
Commander.
Thank you.
Israel needs to leave Lebanon
as quickly as possible.
We will implement our peace plan.
Wake up, Robert.
What peace plan are you talking about?
It died the minute they killed Bachir.
No, it didn't. You
still have to withdraw
Uh, let's say Hey,
let's say we leave Lebanon.
Your president will stop
the shooting on Israel?
Or maybe it will be you, Robert.
Go on, Robert.
Our services need to find a way
to step back from the
abyss and work together.
Abyss.
Mr. Ames,
we value your guidance, as always.
But there's a feeling that
the Arabists in the CIA
are say, uh, um,
too romantic about our neighbors.
No, don't insult my professionalism
or that of my officers.
Our friends are expected to
get onboard with our plan,
and those that don't will
pay a very heavy price.
Do I make myself clear?
Yes, you do.
And with all the respect,
you can fuck off, sir.
Meir, can you show our
friend the way out, please?
A huge explosion
flattened the Israeli
military headquarters
in Tyre, Lebanon, today.
At least 28 people were
killed, dozens injured.
Rescue workers still are digging.
The seven-story building
was reduced to rubble.
The cause of the explosion is not clear,
but there's speculation about a gas
or an ammunition explosion.
Mm.
You got anything
new on that explosion in Tyre?
Israelis still say it was a gas leak.
We're pushing for a phased withdrawal.
Working north to south.
If they commit, the Israelis
could be out in two weeks.
Are they gonna go for this?
Well, Ken, Reagan's had enough.
Mr. Ames, phone call.
Yeah. I can take it in my office.
Ames.
Mr. Ames, it's Meir Dagan.
As you know, Islam forbids suicide.
But in the name of jihad,
the self-sacrifice is permitted.
A young kid, ordinary.
Nothing special about him,
except all his family
was killed by our forces.
What about the, uh, recruiter?
Someone who came from
Beirut, but has relatives here.
That's it.
No name, no picture.
Just a nickname, Radwan.
What do your commanders
think of your theory?
That it was a gas leak,
and I might be suffering
from PTSD, and fuck them.
They're idiots.
Well, we have idiots at the CIA, too.
I know.
That's his house, Ahmad Qassir.
Robert, these are not the same
terrorists we've known before.
These are fanatics
motivated by Imam Khomeini.
And they will come for you as well.
Somebody recruited this kid
around here.
But what we need is assets
inside the Iranian training camp,
here near Baalbek.
Hmm. Bekaa Valley.
That's tough.
Well, I'm sure you'll find a way.
Gentlemen.
Islamic Jihad.
- What does that mean exactly?
- Holy war.
Oh, Christ.
Okay, so this, uh, kid blows himself up,
earning a one-way ticket to paradise.
Why is the Mossad still
saying it's a gas leak?
Because they knew it wasn't.
Didn't wanna make a hero
out of the guy, right?
We need a window into
that training camp.
No, I'm not sending
my case officers to Baalbek,
chasing your crazy-ass
theory about the Ayatollah.
What if Bob's right?
What if it is Iran?
- He's on fire.
- That is a very good
- No! Pass, pass, pass!
- You okay?
- Yeah.
- Ready? Watch this, guys.
- Oh! Dad!
- Yeah!
Hey! Here.
Dad gets two.
Two for two.
Ames residence.
It's the switchboard.
It's ridiculous. I can't
I thought you
told them about family time.
I did.
I'll take it in the office.
Ames.
Bob, listen.
Mossad called, all right?
We're a go on the deal.
What did you tell those bastards?
I told them the truth.
That's a good one.
Listen, the White House
wants you back in Beirut now, okay?
Get the Israelis out and close the deal.
It was just such a loss of innocence
for the United States, looking back,
because we felt we were there
as neutral peacekeepers,
and, in fact, we thought
And we thought we were the good guys
doing the right thing,
trying to bring peace to the world,
and we were perceived instead, locally,
as enemies and combatants.
And we were in a war we
didn't even realize we were in.
- Is everything in place?
- Yes.
The UN?
They'll monitor the
Israeli troops on their way out.
Any update on the
new organization, Islamic Jihad?
We're not sure it's real, Bob.
And the Iranian camps?
Like a black hole.
No assets?
No prospects?
But if Khomeini really did
wanna export his revolution,
why wouldn't he start here in Lebanon?
This is where the
Shia are being ignored.
I mean, that's what I would do.
All right, gentlemen, maybe
that's, uh, lunch break.
Look, uh
I know what it's like
to start from nothing.
We've all been there.
It's the hardest thing
for a case officer,
so just hit the
streets, start listening.
Do our job.