Israelis Debate Fallout From Hit Squad Killing of Hamas Leader

Feb. 17, 2010— -- The assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel by a well-choreographed team of assassins dominated the Israeli press today.

The revelations that came out of the Dubai police press conference Monday night, particularly the publication of the 11 foreign passports and the surveillance video, has led many Israelis to suspect their own Mossad secret service is behind the killing.

This mounting speculation of Mossad involvement led Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to, unusually, comment on the reports today.

"There is no reason to think that it was the Israeli Mossad, and not some other intelligence service or country up to some mischief," Lieberman, asked about the operation and alleged passport subterfuge, told Army Radio.

He brushed aside the concern that the use of British, Irish, French and German passports may damage relations with those countries.

"I think Britain recognises that Israel is a responsible country and that our security activity is conducted according to very clear, cautious and responsible rules of the game. Therefore we have no cause for concern," he said speaking about Great Britain in particular where 6 of the 11 forged passports came from.

The Israelis have used foreign passports on operations before and it has got them into trouble. When Mossad tried to kill Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Jordan in 1997 the two assassins used Canadian passports. Canada wasn't happy about that. In the 1980s British authorities shut down the Mossad station in London when stolen British passports were found in a public telephone booth, and several years ago Mossad agents were arrested in New Zealand trying to steal the identity of New Zealand citizens.