Israel said today it had arrested a Palestinian activist recruited by the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah to carry out acts of terrorism.
The arrest comes hours after Israel was reported an explosion in northern Israel wounded at least two people believed to be Palestinian suicide bombers.
The Palestinian activist, Mr Suleiman Ahmed Suleiman Rizek, was recruited by the Shiite militia group with the aim of gathering intelligence about settlements in his native area of Hizmah, north of Jerusalem, Israeli government officials said.
"He was also responsible for looking into the possibility of acquiring weapons, and developing contacts with the local Arab-Israeli population," officials said.
Mr Rizek, who was recruited in February this year while on a pilgrimmage to Saudi Arabia, allegedly told Israeli investigators that Hezbollah gave him money to fund his activities, and had also inquired about recruiting his friends, or one of his sons.
Mr Rizek also said he had told Hezbollah he was ready to undergo military training in Lebanon.
He was arrested by Israel's domestic security agency Shin Beth before he managed to carry out any of his plans.
It is believed two Palestinian suicide bombers were injured in the explosion earlier today that rocked a rural area in northern Israel, Israeli radio and television reported.
The reports said the explosion, which occurred near a collective farm not far from the Jordan Valley, appeared to have occurred in a car and the two people wounded were the Palestinian bombers who were headed to a larger city.
They quoted police sources as saying the explosion was a "work accident" and the blast was meant to go off in an Israeli city.
The explosion was the latest violence to threaten a fragile Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire agreement meant to end a year of fighting.
AFP and