Sunday, April 12, 2009

'Iranians trained senior Hizbullah operative arrested by Egypt'


Apr. 12, 2009
jpost.com staff and AP , THE JERUSALEM POST

An Egyptian defense official revealed that Hizbullah operative Sami Shihab, who is a central suspect among the 49 men arrested by Egyptian authorities on Saturday, was trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Kuwaiti al-Jarida newspaper reported on Sunday. According to the report, the detainees have admitted that a senior Hizbullah intelligence official overlooked the planning of terror attacks the group was meant to carry out on Egyptian soil.

The official reportedly told the Kuwaiti newspaper that top Hizbullah operative Muhammad Kablan worked to recruit activists and launch a training program in Egypt between the years 2007-2008.

The Jerusalem Post could not independently confirm the report.

Earlier Sunday, Iran slammed Egypt and claimed that Cairo's accusations against Hizbullah were meant to affect the elections for the Lebanese parliament, set for June.

According to Israel Radio, Ali Larijani, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said that Cairo's criticism on the Lebanese terror group was nothing more than "media noise."

Teheran was apparently responding to a move by Egyptian parliamentarians and legal experts who called to issue a warrant for the arrest of Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.

The MPS called to put Nasrallah on trial for "encouraging terror activities in an attempt to destabilize the [Egyptian] state" and include him in the indictment expected to be served against 49 members of a terror cell arrested in Egypt several days ago on suspicion that they were planning to carry out attacks inside the country, the Saudi-based Al Arabiya television network reported.

Following the Iranian statements, Hussam Zaki, spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Cairo that Teheran's response proves the strong link between Iran and the Lebanese terror group.

Zaki reportedly added that Iran is not doing anything to help the Palestinians in Gaza, and that Teheran's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is based solely on propaganda purposes.

Also Sunday, Al Ahram reported that Hizbullah loyalists had purchased an entire building in Cairo and several villas in the Sinai Peninsula as part of the terror cell's efforts.

The Egyptian daily further claimed that the cell recruited 12 Shi'ite agents and 37 other members from different countries who entered Egypt using foreign passports.

Since the arrest of the 49 suspects as well as the detention of 15 people who allegedly helped manufacture Gaza-bound rockets, Egyptian officials and Nasrallah have been exchanging accusations, with Nasrallah denying any machinations against the country and Egypt saying that Hizbullah's alleged activity in Egypt was the spearhead of an Iranian scheme to assume control of the entire Middle East.

In the latest spate, Egyptian officials responded angrily to a recent speech by Nasrallah, in which he admitted that the Lebanese terror group was smuggling arms into the Gaza Strip, telling the London-based Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat that "Nasrallah wants to turn Egypt into a playground like Lebanon."

In an article published on Saturday, the officials blamed Nasrallah for "dragging Egypt into this situation" by letting his people enter Egypt "for satanic purposes."

"Egypt is not a playground in which others can play. Egypt is not a building without a doorkeeper," the unnamed officials warned Hizbullah.

The Egyptian officials reportedly went on to link Nasrallah's speech with the interests of the Iranian government.

"Nasrallah's admission and the language he used point to Hizbullah's desire to unite Egypt and the rest of the region with the Lebanese resistance movement and its solidarity with the Palestinians, under complicated international circumstances - for the mere sake of satisfying the Iranian interest to occupy the world, as [Teheran] develops its nuclear program," the officials were quoted as saying.

On Sunday morning, defense officials said that the Hizbullah arms smuggling cell was also likely planning an attack against Israeli targets, although they described the episode as an internal issue between Cairo and the guerrilla group tied to the destabilization of the Egyptian regime.

The officials added that "the arrest of Hizbullah operatives constitutes an escalation in tensions between Iran, Hizbullah and Egypt."

The Defense Minister's Office said that despite the developments, Hizbullah had no interest in an escalation in the North, but emphasized that Israel was following events closely.

Meanwhile, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz said Sunday morning that the smuggling was an act of aggression and expressed hope that the Hizbullah leader would pay the price.

Speaking to Army Radio, Katz said that Nasrallah had been a "marked man since the Lebanon war," and that the weapons smuggling was "an act of war."

The minister went on to say that he hoped that "whoever knows what to do" will make sure Nasrallah "is put in the right place."
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