Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Sunday that Lebanon's Hizbullah armed wing may attack Israel with Iranian and Syrian help to avenge the death of one of its senior leaders, an official said.
"Hizbullah has decided... to blame Israel for it. Based on that, we can assume that Hizbullah will try to retaliate in Israel or abroad," Barak told the Israeli cabinet, according to a senior official who attended the meeting. "It might do so with the help of Iran and Syria," he said, adding that "Israel has no interest in an escalation, but in view of recent events we are preparing accordingly."
Israel celebrated the death of Imad Mughniyeh, but denied any involvement in the killing. "(Mughniyeh) was responsible for killing hundreds of civilians and soldiers of many nationalities over the past decade. I don't think Syria, Hizbullah and Iran have a clear picture of who was behind" his death, the Israeli minister added, according to AFP.
