Israel Matzav

But of course, it's a Zionist plot!

Gutten zummer - a good summer to all of you (yes, that's what we say on the night that Passover ends). For those of you who are wondering how an Orthodox Jew could be on the Internet on the 8th night of Passover, the answer is relatively simple: Israelis in Israel only have seven days of holiday. Our holiday ended a couple of hours ago.

After Hezbullah all but admitted that it was operating in Egypt, Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki claimed on Wednesday that it was - what else - a Zionist plot.

"Labels against... Hizbullah and (its chief Sayyed) Hassan Nasrallah are an old and frayed trick and will not achieve anything," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying by Iran's Fars news agency.

Mottaki also said Israel and "hands from outside the region" were seeking to "create problems" in the June 7 elections.

"The Zionist regime will not succeed in this political plot," he said.

Of course, why didn't I think of that? But more seriously, could this be the first round in a coming war between the Shiites and the Sunnis?

Recent developments also stem from historical animosity between Sunni-Arab Egypt and Shi'ite-non-Arab Iran, Hizbullah's patron and enabler.

On Tuesday, the larger regional conflict implicit in the Egypt-Hizbullah clash became explicit when Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit told the London-based Asharq Alawsat that "Iran, and Iran's followers want Egypt to become a maid of honor for the crowned Iranian queen when she enters the Middle East." He was referring to Hizbullah's activity in Egypt, which Cairo interprets as Iranian meddling in its internal affairs.

Meanwhile, Al Quds al Arabi reported Wednesday that Jordan had raised its level of alert following the allegations of Hizbullah activity in Egypt.

...

Apart from the possibility that Hizbullah sleeper cells might be operating in the country, the monarchy also fears that cells affiliated with the Sunni terror group al Qaida might attempt to infiltrate Israel via the Jordanian border, the report said.

JPost also reports that Hezbullah has purchased buildings as bases of operation in Egypt. Hmmm.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:58 PM