Israeli authorities fear that Hizbullah is planning an attack against its nationals in west Africa to avenge the death of its top commander Imad Mughniyeh, an official said on Monday.

Israeli officials have in recent days traveled to west Africa, home to a large Lebanese Shiite community, and warned Israelis living and working there of the impending threat, a security official told Agence France Presse.

The exact nature of the threat was not specified, nor was a particular country.

Israel went on high alert after Hizbullah blamed it for Mughniyeh's murder in a car bombing in Damascus last February. The Jewish state denied any involvement.

Israeli embassies and consulates across the world have remained on alert since the Mughniyeh killing, but so far there have been no specific warnings of a planned attack.(AFP-Naharnet)