An al-Qaida branch in Lebanon reportedly tried to assassinate the leader of Hezbollah.
Lebanese security forces over the summer arrested three al-Qaida operatives who confessed to a plot against Sheik Hassan Nasrallah’s life, the Lebanon daily newspaper As-Safir reported Thursday.
According to the newspaper, the assassination was to have involved explosives and poison. The detainees further said they had fired rockets into Israel in a bid to spark a war.
The report came amid major political upheaval in Lebanon, with Hezbollah and other Syria-backed groups facing off against the Western-favored government.
Hezbollah and al-Qaida have major doctrinal differences — Shi’ite and Sunni, respectively. But some terrorism experts believe they have stepped up cooperation against common enemies.
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