"The Counter-Terrorism Bureau warns over kidnappings of Israelis abroad, particularly businessmen and above all those who work with Arabs or Muslims," the agency said on its Internet site.

The bureau urged Israelis not to travel abroad in organised tours to avoid being targeted.

"It is a high risk," the warning states, saying the threat is particularly high after the conclusion of the traditional 40-day mourning period following the killing of senior Hezbollah commander Imad Mughnieh.

The Lebanese Shiite militia accused Israel of carrying out the February 12 car bomb assassination in Damascus. Authorities in the Jewish state have denied any involvement but welcomed the killing of Mughnieh, who was wanted for a string of attacks in the 1980s and 1990s on US and Israeli targets.

"Hezbollah continues to blame Israel for the death of Mughnieh, which increases the risk of attacks conducted by Hezbollah on Israeli targets," the Internet site says.

"Hezbollah would have liked to kidnap or assassinate former Israeli senior military officials, or target a tour group," General Nitzan Nuriel, who heads the Counter-Terrorism Bureau, told armed forces radio on Friday.

The mass circulation Yediot Aharonot daily said Israelis travelling to Cyprus faced particularly high risks of being attacked or kidnapped. -AFP