TEL AVIV -- Officials here said the Israeli intelligence community believes Hizbullah has been tracking senior officials and military commanders.
Hizbullah members fix giant poster of the late commander Imad Mughniyeh on a building in Tyre, Lebanon on March 12. AP/Mohammed Zaatari
They said Hizbullah, in wake of the Feb. 12 assassination of operational chief Imad Mughniyeh, could launch an assassination attempt of a senior Israeli figure over the next few months.
"They want to kill somebody parallel in importance to Mughniyeh," an official said.
[In Beirut, the U.S. embassy in Lebanon warned of new attacks against Americans. The embassy urged Americans in Lebanon to maintain a low profile.]
Officials said the Israel Security Agency has recommended increased protection for senior military commanders. They said ISA would help in arranging for protection of the homes and vehicles of the commanders as well as senior diplomats.
[On March 6, three Middle East nationals were arrested in the Philippines on charges of plotting to bomb the Israeli and three other embassies in Manila.]
So far, Hizbullah has not launched any attack on Israel from Lebanon.
A United Nations report said Israel has estimated a Hizbullah arsenal of 10,000 long-range and 20,000 short-range rockets.
A deterrent? 30,000 missiles? You know, only one kind of weapon can prevent the launch of this kind of barrage.
Most of the rockets and missiles were sent by Iran through Turkey and Syria.
Officials said the missile shipments, including those with a range of 300 kilometers, were described as civilian cargo.
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