ISRAEL DOES NOT DENY ITS AGENTS KILLED HAMAS LEADER, JUST THAT THERE IS "NO PROOF"

Many observers suspect that the Hamas leader who was killed in Dubai was assassinated by Israeli agents clandestinely using passports of British citizens living in Israel. But Israel's Defense Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, claims that there is no proof that Israeli agents were involved. Note the non-denial, just that there is no proof.

Here is the story as reported by Jonathan Marcus for the BBC:

"The operation was clinical. The hit-team successfully escaped Dubai. But they left telltale traces. The false foreign passports used by the alleged team of secret agents have been identified and six of them are British. That is diplomatic problem number one.

"Problem number two is identity theft. The passports used the names of real people, British citizens, with dual nationality, who happen to live in Israel, who had absolutely no knowledge of what was going on.

"Nobody yet of course has any proof-positive as to who carried out the operation. There may be no "smoking gun". Nonetheless what you might call the "smouldering passports" suggest that Israel has some questions to answer.

"If Israel was indeed behind this assassination then some, even in Israel, may well suggest that they have scored a costly own goal."