Several hundred Al-Qaida militants have arrived in Lebanon with the intent of carrying out terror attacks, the head of Military Intelligence Major General Amos Yadlin told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday.

"Between several dozen and several hundred Al-Qaida activists have arrived in Lebanon from Iraq and Pakistan, in accordance with instructions from the group's leadership to deploy in Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt in order to carry out terror attacks," Yadlin said. Yadlin added that the operatives could target UNIFIL and other Western interests.

According to Yadlin, a small number of Al-Qaida operatives also infiltrated the Gaza Strip, and a couple of the group's members have been found in Nablus.

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The MI chief also discussed the situation with Syria, saying that while it is impossible to determine for certain whether Syrian President Bashar Assad truly wants peace, the "MI assessment is that there is a low probability that Syria will initiate a war against Israel."

Nonetheless, Yadlin said Syria may carry out military operations in the Golan Heights, although the Syrians understand that such steps could lead to a war. According to Yadlin, the Syrians are purchasing massive amounts of ground-to-ground and anti-tank missiles from Russia.

Yadlin said he believes Iran will succeed in manufacturing a nuclear bomb by 2009, assuming they don't encounter technical difficulties or discover "short cuts."

Despite the United Nations Security Council's demand that Iran halt its uranium enrichment program within 60 days, Yadlin said, the assessment is that the enrichment will continue as usual. He also projects that the Iranians will declare some time in February or March that they possess nuclear capability to show the world that "the horses have already fled the stable."

The MI chief stressed that Iran continues to provide funding and weapons to Syria, Hamas, and Hezbollah, and has close military and intelligence
coordination with Syria.

According to the major general, Hezbollah has not left southern Lebanon and arms transfers from Syria are continuing apace, but the organization is currently focused on rehabilitating its strength, with help from large quantities of arms from Iran.

Yadlin said he expects the Palestinian political crisis to continue, and that Hamas' financial situation is improving, along with its standing in relation to Fatah. Yadlin added that Hamas members have received training in Syria and Iran. According to Yadlin, Fatah incurred most of the casualties during the recent clashes in the Gaza Strip, but the organization undoubtedly remains the main power broker in the West Bank.

According to Yadlin, 77 Palestinian suicide bombers were arrested in 2006, 45 of which were en route to carrying out the attack. Militant groups fired 1200 Qassam rockets at Israel last year, 700 of which hit populated areas.