Syria claims it has foiled an Israeli assassination attempt on a Palestinian resistance leader living in exile. The London-based Asharq al-Awsat quoted an unidentified Syrian source last week who said security forces had arrested a cell of Israeli Mossad intelligence agents. The agents reportedly used fake passports to enter Syria, which is officially at war with Israel.

"The cell was discovered and its members arrested by Syrian security forces who prevented them from carrying out the mission assigned to them by Israeli intelligence." Numerous Israeli officials have vowed to kill leaders of resistance groups it accuses of responsibility for "terror acts".

Syrian President Bashar al-Asad has warned Tel Aviv that it would consider attempt on the lives of Palestinian resistance exiles in Syria as an act of aggression. Israel has assassinated Hamas's spiritual leader and co-founder Shaikh Ahmad Yasin and its Gaza leader Abd al-Aziz al-Rantisi.