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'Israel plotting to assassinate Nasrallah'

Israel Materials 23 May 2009 13:08 (UTC +04:00)

A senior Hezbollah official warns that an Israeli plot to assassinate the movement's leader Seyeyd Hassan Nasrallah would "set the region ablaze", Press TV reported.

In an interview with the Arab language daily Asharq al-Awsat Nawaf al-Musawi said Israel was conspiring with "many states" to assassinate Nasrallah.

"A decision was taken in Israel to assassinate Nasrallah, and many states have conspired with Israel on this front", Ynet quoted Musawi as saying on Friday.

He said the assassination -- if materialized -- would "cause an all-out explosion," in the region.

Based on the report, Israel is planning a large-scale military drill to simulate the army's plot to kill Nasrallah. "The resistance is addressing this military maneuver responsibly and seriously," the Hezbollah official said.

The Lebanese daily al-Safir said that Ziad al-Hamsi, a Mossad agent who has been arrested recently, was tasked by Israel with getting close to Nasrallah.

Referring to the recent Egyptian anti-Hezbollah campaigns, the daily said that some Arab countries and their espionage organizations-- which consider Hezbollah as a threat to their interests--, attempt to provoke the political and public atmosphere against the movement.

Egypt recently launched a campaign against the Lebanese movement Hezbollah, accusing the group of conspiring to destabilize the country.

The accusations against Hezbollah came ahead of the Lebanese June 7 parliamentary election. Israel has also been planning a military war game, code-named "Turning Point 3," three days before the elections.

The Hezbollah leader, however, has described the drill as part of Israel's efforts to mend its image, tarnished by a humiliating defeat in the 33-day war in the summer of 2006.

He also said the resistance group would stay on high alert during the military exercise which would last for five days.

The Hezbollah movement, which was attacked by the Israeli army during the war, says it is not seeking to wage war in the region but maintains that it will respond to any Israeli aggression.

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