Israel had hoped a row over the use of forged passports in the killing of a top Hamas militant in Dubai was over.

Israel came under fresh pressure on Thursday as Australia became the latest country seeking answers over the killing of a top Hamas militant.

The recent, outlandish assassination in Dubai may prove the most damaging yet in the Mossad's history of high-profile, bungled operations.

Israel on Friday shrugged off calls for its top spy to be arrested over the killing of a Hamas commander.

Israel said on Wednesday the use foreign-born Israeli identities by a hit squad suspected of killing a Hamas militant did not prove Mossad did it.

The Mossad was in the hot seat on Wednesday over the murder of a top Hamas man in Dubai.

A powerful Sudanese rebel leader met secretly with top Israeli espionage officials in Israel this month, Israeli defence officials said on Monday.

One of Tzipi Livni's greatest challenges will be to restore some integrity to the tainted Israeli political system, writes Rory McCarthy.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni publicly acknowledged on Tuesday she had been an agent for the Mossad spy agency.

The pro-Iranian Hezbollah group accused the United States on Friday of endangering regional stability by deploying a warship off Lebanon and vowed to defy what it called an act of military intimidation. Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, leads a Lebanese opposition locked in a 15-month-old power struggle with the Western-backed governing coalition.