Azernews.Az

BAKU – Israel`s embassy in Azerbaijan resumed its work on Tuesday, Ambassador Michael Lavon-Lotem said, a day after the diplomatic mission was suspended over what unconfirmed reports said could be linked to the Israeli government`s warning about the threat of terror.

The embassy`s consular section is operating as well.

On Monday, Ambassador Lavon-Lotem said the embassy had suspended its work for technical reasons and would be back on track as soon as all outstanding issues were resolved.

Israel`s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it was considering temporarily closing embassies in a slew of countries, Haaretz newspaper reported. It said in a statement that Israeli embassies throughout the world have received several suspected terror threats. The threat is believed to target embassies in Africa, Southeast Asia and Caucasus.

The threats are allegedly from Hezbollah to avenge the murder of the group`s military commander Imad Mughniyah on the third anniversary of his death.

Mughniyah was killed when his car exploded in 2008 and Hezbollah blames Israel for his assassination, despite Israel`s denial of any involvement.

The Foreign Ministry assured the public that Israeli security officials are handling the matter and all necessary precautions are being taken, but instructed Israeli diplomats to stay home.

The one-day closure of the Israeli embassy in Baku came after Israel`s Counter Terrorism Bureau issued a warning last Friday cautioning Israelis against traveling to eight countries, including Azerbaijan, due to ``the increased threat of terror attacks``. It said that travels to Egypt, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Cote d`Ivoire, Mauritania and Venezuela should be avoided.

Israelis were also discouraged from traveling in the near future to hotspots in which there is a high concentration of Israelis, and strongly advised adhering to security guidelines from local authorities.

Meanwhile, the United States issued another warning to its citizens over an alleged threat of terror attacks in Azerbaijan, according to the website of the US embassy in Baku. The State Department said that based on ``terrorist threat information``, the likelihood of such attacks remains high.

The warning followed similar security alerts issued in late January by the US and British governments, though the statements did not detail the gist of the threat or who could pose it.

Keith Bean, the spokesman for the US embassy in Baku, said the diplomatic mission is operating as before, but the U.S. is working with the Azerbaijani government to ensure that security is provided at the top level.

Bean sidestepped a question about the nature of the alleged terror threat and the source of such information. ``But we believe that the threat is real and call on US citizens to be vigilant.``

However, Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies said there were no grounds for concern.

``Azerbaijan is one of the countries ensuring its stability,`` Interior Ministry spokesman Sadig Gozalov said. ``This is the view of not only Azerbaijani citizens but is also the conclusion of diplomatic missions, foreign investors. But no country, and superpowers are no exception, are insured against terror.``

Gozalov said the security of all diplomatic missions based in Azerbaijan is reliably protected.

National Security Ministry spokesman Arif Babayev said the required pre-emptive steps are being taken to counter possible threats to Azerbaijan`s national security.

The ruling Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party (YAP) earlier called on the U.S. to explain on what grounds the statements concerning a terror threat were made, saying social and political stability is observed in Azerbaijan.