Israel warns top officers following Hamas threat

Occupied Jerusalem:  The Israeli army said yesterday it has warned its top officers to be on guard when travelling abroad following the mysterious death of a Hamas commander in Dubai.

Hamas has accused Israel of carrying out the January 20 slaying of Mahmoud Al Mabhouh and vowed revenge, hinting it could attack Israeli targets abroad. Hamas has historically limited its attacks to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Although Israel has not acknowledged any role in the killing, military officials said on Monday they were taking the threats seriously and had instructed senior officers, military attaches and soldiers on study leaves to exercise caution when travelling abroad.

The officials said the military fears Hamas could try to capture Israeli officers outside the country. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a sensitive security matter.

Hamas has said Al Mabhouh was electrocuted and poisoned in his Dubai hotel room. It was one of several mysterious deaths of Arab fighters attributed to Israel's Mossad spy agency over the years. Israeli security officials have claimed Al Mabhouh played a critical role in smuggling long-range rockets from Iran to Palestinian fighters in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Hamas already possesses a formidable arsenal of shorter-range rockets, and Israeli officials consider long-range projectiles that could strike major population centres in central Israel to be an unacceptable threat.