JERUSALEM, Jan.9 (Xinhua) -- Israeli intelligence said Tuesday that al-Qaida terror organization is seeking to strengthen its base in the Middle East by dispatching a large number of operatives to Lebanon, Syria and Egypt.

    Israel's military intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin disclosed it at a meeting of the Knesset (parliament) Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, local newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

    "Dozens, if not hundreds, of al-Qaida operatives arrived in Lebanon. These operatives are trained and have terror knowledge. According to estimates, the organization's number two Ayman al-Zwahiri gave orders to operatives to spread in Syria, Lebanon and Egypt," Yadlin was quoted as saying.

    He warned that the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon and Western targets there are most likely to be attacked, adding that there are also a handful of al-Qaida operatives in the Gaza Strip while a few operatives were arrested in the West Bankcity Nablus.

    As for the Iranian nuclear crisis, Yadlin said that Tehran will not halt uranium enrichment, which is using a 60-day ultimatum given by the UN Security Council to push forward with its uranium enrichment.

    Iran's policy is to convey the message that the international community should stop calling on it to halt uranium enrichment because "it is too late," he added.

    According to Israeli estimates, Iran will be able to produce a nuclear bomb by mid 2009 at the earliest, barring technological obstacles and foreign interventions.

    The Israeli military intelligence chief also noted that the alert level within the Syrian army has been lowered, accusing Damascus of continuing to assist Lebanese Hezbollah in replenishing its arms stocks.