Work at Israel Embassy in Turkey Stops Over Fear from Hizbullah Attack

Israeli missions in Turkey have stopped working while security measures are implemented in response to threats by Hizbullah, an Israeli diplomatic source said Friday.

"Officially, we are not closed, but practically we are not functioning... because of security problems," the source told Agence France Presse.

"We are changing our rules drastically. We are not closed, but we have flexible hours, so you don't know exactly when we are there," the source said.

The situation applies to both the Israeli embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul.

Hizbullah threatened Wednesday to attack Israel and target its leaders if Israeli forces invade Lebanon as in 2006.

Israel's foreign ministry said Tuesday it had temporarily closed four of its diplomatic missions after receiving attack threats, but did not specify which.

Israel's anti-terrorism bureau has also warned Israelis against traveling to Egypt and eight other countries including Turkey for fear of reprisals on the anniversary of the assassination of two top Hizbullah members.

The other countries named were Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania and Venezuela.

Top Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh was killed in a car bombing in Damascus on February 12, 2008, while Abbas Moussawi, the group's secretary general, was killed by an Israeli missile on February 16, 1992.(AFP)