JERUSALEM: Israel put its embassies and other interests abroad on high alert and reinforced troops on the Lebanese border on Thursday after the assassination of Hezbollah’s top guerilla commander.

Hezbollah and its patron Iran accused Israel of killing Imad Moughniyah with a car bomb in Damascus on Tuesday. The Israeli government rejected the charge, although its Mossad spy service had long regarded Moughniyah as a “terrorist mastermind”. With supporters of the Lebanese militia urging revenge, Israel stepped up already stringent security measures.

“Our diplomatic missions are on high alert, and this could be the case for weeks or even months — it depends on our risk assessments,” a security source said. “There have also been precautions taken in terms of our (Lebanese) border garrison.”—Reuters