Israel's foreign minister said on Wednesday the use of the identities of foreign-born Israeli citizens by a hit squad suspected of killing a senior Hamas member in Dubai did not prove the Mossad spy agency assassinated him. "There is no reason to think that it was the Israeli Mossad, and not some other intelligence service or country up to some mischief," Avigdor Lieberman told Israel's Army Radio.
But Lieberman did not deny Israeli involvement in the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh last month, saying Israel has a "policy of ambiguity" on intelligence matters and there was no proof it was behind the assassination.
Men with the same names as seven of the 11 suspects whose European passport photos were distributed by Dubai live in Israel. Six of the men are Britons who immigrated to Israel. The seventh is an American-Israeli, whose name Dubai said was on a German passport used by one of the assassins.
Dubai issued international arrest warrants for all suspects, who also include Irish and French passport holders. According to Reuters, a government source said six other people, not yet identified, were also believed to be involved.
In the interview, Lieberman dismissed any prospect of diplomatic problems with Britain over suspicions a Mossad team had used counterfeit British passports. "I think Britain recognizes 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.
