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Last update - 16:19 10/04/2009
'Iran behind Hezbollah bid to strike Egypt targets'
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Tags: Terrorism, Israel News 

Iran was behind the planning of terror attacks against targets in Egypt by Hezbollah operatives, the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram quoted a senior official in Cairo as saying Thursday.

Two employees of an Iranian satellite TV channel planned the attacks, the paper said, which were meant to be carried out simultaneously at a number of locations across the country.

According to Al-Ahram, the code-name for the attacks was mentioned in the last speech delivered by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
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The report came after Egypt's attorney general announced Wednesday that 49 agents of the Lebanese militant group had been arrested on suspicion of carrying out hostile operations.

The government statement said that the men were looking to destabilize Egypt's general security.

The pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat, meanwhile, reported Thursday that Egypt also suspects three of the men it arrested of attempting to smuggle arms from Sudan to Hamas in Gaza via its territory.

Foreign news outlets reported last month that the Israel Air Force carried out an air strike in Sudan on a convoy of Iranian arms en route to the Gaza Strip.

The paper named one of the three detainees as Lebanese national Sami Shihab, whom it said was responsible for enlisting dozens of Egyptians in espionage activities for Hezbollah. Al-Hayat said the other two were Palestinians who lived in Lebanon.

'Hezbollah told agents to gather intel on Sinai tourist sites'

According to the Egyptian government statement released Wednesday, the men had been assigned by Hezbollah to observe and collect intelligence from the villages along the Egypt-Gaza border, tourist sites in the Sinai, and the Suez Canal.

They had also been provided explosives and training on how to use them.

"The public prosecutor received a note from state security about information confirmed by questioning about Hezbollah leaders sending some elements to the county to attract members to work with the organization and persuade them to join its ranks ... with the aim of carrying out acts of aggression inside the country," the government statement said.

It gave no details of any possible attacks. But the announcement came as the Counter-Terrorism Bureau in the Prime Minister's Office said Tuesday it had "grave and immediate" intelligence concerning Palestinian terrorists from the Gaza Strip who are operating in Sinai under Hezbollah direction and sponsorship and seek to abduct Israelis vacationing in the area during Pesach.

A lawyer for the group said on Tuesday Egyptian authorities had been questioning the group since Saturday and had accused its members of helping Hezbollah send money and aid to the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.

Diaa Rashwan, an Egyptian expert on Islamist movements in Cairo called the attorney general's allegations dangerous and suggested they were motivated primarily by political considerations.

"Hezbollah doesn't have activities outside Lebanon, and if it has, it comes in support of group ... but it has no outside military activities," he said.

Tensions have been high between Egypt and Hezbollah since the militant group criticized Egypt for not doing more to stop Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

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      1.   In other words... 20:04  |  Shimon CleopasA 08/04/09
      2.   PR stunt by egpyt 20:50  |  vik 08/04/09
      3.   #2 Vik - you are asking for impossible miracles 01:10  |  ANUAR AL SADAT 09/04/09
      4.   49? 01:27  |  Nate 09/04/09
      5.   Watch out Egypt, Iran has you in its sights too 02:48  |  Peter Williams 09/04/09
      6.   # 2 vik.....could be possible 05:34  |  Lynn 09/04/09
      7.   I SAID THIS AGES AGO 06:42  |  VIPER 09/04/09
      8.   payback 07:19  |  Ali 09/04/09
      9.   Hezbollah is a tool of the Iranian intelligence apparatus 08:29  |  Jean Van Daem 09/04/09
      10.   Egypt and Hezbollah "operatives" 09:46  |  DT 09/04/09
      11.   Mubarak`s dictatorial reign is coming to an end 09:46  |  Joe 09/04/09
      12.   Most readers of the Arab Papers are now laughing 11:39  |  Laila 09/04/09
      13.   Aren`t Hezbollah a bit ashamed to be lackeys of Iran...? 12:31  |  Esther 09/04/09
      14.   Yawn. Change the record Israel. 13:34  |  Ronald 09/04/09
      15.   Esther , #10 , NO they are NOT 14:15  |  laila 09/04/09
      16.   rofl, Mr. Mubarak, you make me laugh 14:55  |  KMX 09/04/09
      17.   How naive some can still be to not realizing Iran`s long term... 14:57  |  Jehudah Ben-Israel 09/04/09
      18.   #2 - seems like you don`t understand the situation 15:29  |  redbourn 09/04/09
      19.   The Arab World would do infinitely Better without Egyptian and 15:31  |  Monitor 09/04/09
      20.   I like the way.. 15:33  |  H 09/04/09
      21.   A Fabricated Story 15:35  |  CaptAhab 09/04/09
      22.   Jordan is next in line. 16:17  |  Stephen. 09/04/09
      23.   Question for Laila 16:38  |  Abuya 09/04/09
      24.   To Net re "49?" Police works in the following way: They catch ONE 16:38  |  Vittorio 09/04/09
      25.   Mubarak team readying for confrontation with Nassaralla ? 16:40  |  Joseph.E 09/04/09
      26.   Some items 17:09  |  Mad Iranian 09/04/09
      27.   #.9 Jean Van Daeme. 17:11  |  Stephen. 09/04/09
      28.   Hezbollah 17:28  |  Barry N 09/04/09
      29.   #14 Mad Iranian...since when has that been true? 17:31  |  Lynn 09/04/09
      30.   Diaa Rashwan, an Egyptian expert on Islamist movements in Cairo 18:04  |  Akiva P 09/04/09
      31.   At very end of article 18:12  |  Roo 09/04/09
      32.   Peter Williams #5 Do you think 18:20  |  Roo 09/04/09
      33.   Clue to all these LIES r last 2 paragraphs in this article!!!!!!! 18:33  |  Pluto 09/04/09
      34.   Peter Williams #5 Do you think 18:53  |  Roo 09/04/09
      35.   "The Code" or Tippy Toe 18:54  |  Afghan 09/04/09
      36.   Egyptian government is good at making up weird things !!! 19:13  |  Sammy from Jordan 09/04/09
      37.   Answer to Laila - #10 19:14  |  Col [Res] Cohen 09/04/09
      38.   Might be true 19:31  |  Ahmose The Egyptian 09/04/09
      39.   It Wasn`t Too Hard To Break The Code 19:39  |  Yosemite 09/04/09
      40.   Roo 21:09  |  Peter Williams 09/04/09
      41.   Hezbollah Egypt 21:42  |  ks 09/04/09
      42.   Iran would never do such a thing. 22:41  |  Murray of Montreal 09/04/09
      43.   Hezbollah Survived because Omert Dithered 22:45  |  JPousson 09/04/09
      44.   #22 Iran / Hezbollah murdered Jews in Argentina twice 22:48  |  Laila 09/04/09
      45.   Poetic Justice! 22:59  |  JPousson 09/04/09
      46.   Roo. Diaa Rashwan NOT CREDIBLE. 23:39  |  Akiva P 09/04/09
      47.   Peter Williams 00:04  |  Roo 10/04/09
      48.   Hezbollah 01:30  |  Daniel W 10/04/09
      49.   Peter Williams 02:05  |  Roo 10/04/09
      50.   To Egyptian #32 03:31  |  Afghan 10/04/09
      51.   Iran/Hezbollah 04:23  |  Devan 10/04/09
      52.   israel... yes israel cooked this 07:23  |  bashar 10/04/09
      53.   Murray of Montreal 08:58  |  Daniela 10/04/09
      54.   very good Egypt! 09:02  |  Daniela 10/04/09
      55.   Stehphen 09:05  |  Daniela 10/04/09
      56.   #45 Daniela re Murray of Montreal 12:55  |  Hastaroth 10/04/09
      57.   Judah Ben-Israel:#13 13:38  |  Ra`ad 10/04/09
      58.   #43 13:59  |  udi 10/04/09
      59.   Isn`t it strange 14:00  |  Chris Linthwaite 10/04/09
      60.   #37 14:22  |  udi 10/04/09
      61.   roo a message for all occasions 15:48  |  harzion 10/04/09
      62.   The problem with Egypt 16:25  |  Elham 10/04/09
      63.   Too Many Hezbollah Headlines Is Just .. 17:09  |  Joe L. 10/04/09
      64.   So, Why Doesn`t Tony Blair Fix THIS Problem? 17:11  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 10/04/09
      65.   In perfect step of Daniyal! 20:02  |  rigmariym 10/04/09
      66.   Iran is on its way to world caliphate IF 21:17  |  KS 10/04/09
      67.   #59 Isn`t it more strange Christian Lintwat 22:17  |  Joe F. Moer 10/04/09
      68.   #27, Stephen 05:55  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 11/04/09
      69.   #67 Joe F Moer 12:29  |  Chris Linthwaite 11/04/09
      70.   Iran`s position? 12:50  |  a wandering Jew 11/04/09
      71.   to lintwaite 14:35  |  udi 11/04/09
      72.   VIPER SAID IT LONG AGO..BUT DEAR VIPER.. 15:56  |  Whiskey 11/04/09
      73.   viper,does it hurt your arm when you reach all the way behind 17:48  |  las vegas odds 11/04/09
      74.   Serious soul destruction 19:06  |  riymer 11/04/09
      75.   Egypt 19:07  |  riymer 11/04/09
      76.   roo "egyptian hyperbole" 22:29  |  harzion 11/04/09
      77.   EGYPT IS THE ZIONIST`S SLAVE 05:28  |  indrajaya 12/04/09
      78.   afghan #50 so,,,why don`t you tell us all what independance and 17:23  |  tell the truth 12/04/09
      79.   Iran is under threat 00:54  |  Moses 13/04/09
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