"The Zionists plan to carry out a suicide plot in the summer," the semi-official Fars news agency quoted Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, Iran's armed forces joint chief of staff, as saying.

"I warn Islamic brothers and leaders in countries neighbouring the occupied land that they are seriously threatened by this Zionist suicide attack," the general said.

He predicted that an Israeli attack would start from Lebanon and Syria and proceed to Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Firouzabadi said the plan was aimed at preventing the United States from withdrawing its forces from Iraq and the Middle East.

"The American poeple, senate and congress have realised their interests are being sacrificed to Zionists' evil, and decided to pull out US forces from the region," he said.

"But the Zionists and US neo-cons want to justify a US presence in the region," he said, calling on "Arab brothers to unify their front against Israel and in defence of the Palestinians."

Iran does not recognize Israel, and its hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the Jewish state to be wiped from the map.

The Arabs don’t trust Israel , since experience tells Israel has not been a friendly neighbor . During the summer war Israel totally destroyed Lebanon’s infrastructure and killed over 1200 people, mainly civilians.

On the other hand the Arabs do not have a high level of trust in Iran, due to its interference in the internal affairs of several Arab countries including Lebanon. The funding and full support of Iran to Hezbollah renders its credibility on such warnings as questionable .

Picture: Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, Iran's armed forces joint chief of staff,

Sources: Naharnet, Ya Libnan