The Lebanese channel has been picked up by the Thai satellite communications company Thaicom, and is currently being broadcast across Australia, Africa, Europe and Asia.

A spokeswoman for the Australian Communications and Media Authority said yesterday it would commence inquiries to "determine whether and how the service is being broadcast in Australia, and will then consider any appropriate action".

The Israel-based Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre issued an alert regarding al-Manar, saying the broadcasts "compromised the efforts of the international community to limit the spread of Hezbollah's incitement programming".

Al-Manar is the mouthpiece of Hezbollah - or the Party of God - an Islamic Shia group formed in Lebanon in the mid-1980s to fight the Israeli occupation of Lebanon.

The former federal government proscribed the militant arm of Hezbollah, calling it a terrorist group under the nation's new counter-terrorism laws.

Anyone who is found belonging to, training with, funding or recruiting members for the group could be jailed for up to 25 years.

Hezbollah - which is also banned in Britain, Canada and the US - has been blamed for launching suicide attacks against Israelis, the US and Western targets.

ACMA, Australia's telecommunications watchdog, has received complaints in the past that al-Manar was available in Australia, allegedly raising funds for Hezbollah and inciting the hatred of Jews.

A previous review of programs raised concerns that it could breach codes of practice requiring accurate and fair representation of news and current affairs programs, as well as breach requirements that there be no programs likely to incite hatred or vilification against any person or group on the basis of their ethnicity, nationality, race or religion.

As a result of the investigation, ACMA introduced standards banning television services that recruited people to join or participate in the activities of a terrorist organisation, or solicit funds for a terrorist organisation.

Source: The Austarlian