Tel Aviv -
Hamas militants planned to kill Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and had already collected information on his movements, a media report said late on Thursday.
A cell from the military wing of Hamas in the Bethlehem area was planning to assassinate Lieberman using a rocket propelled grenade and had bought the launcher, said the Ynet website, linked to leading newspaper Yediot Ahronot. The website cited a statement from the Israel Defence Forces, the police and the Shin Bet domestic security service.
The cell was led by Ibrahim Salim Mahmoud al-Zir, 37, the report said.
The planned attack was intended to send a message to Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza during the offensive in the summer that killed around 2 100 Palestinians, according to UN figures.
Al-Zir reportedly recruited his brother, Ziad Salim Mahmoud al-Zir, 35, and another Hamas militant Adnan Amin Mahmoud al-Zir, 31, to his cell. Adnan and Ziad both admitted to joining the cell to help carry out the attack, the report said.
Al-Zir contacted Yusef Ibrahim Yusef al-Sheikh, 50, to get him to obtain a rocket launcher for the planned hit.
Israeli intelligence services said the cell collected information on the movement's of Lieberman's convoy.
Lieberman is the only senior minister to live on the West Bank and his convoy could be seen on the highway to Jerusalem.
The cell's members have been indicted for conspiracy to commit premeditated manslaughter and conspiring to trade in arms. - Sapa-dpa