Britain was expected on Tuesday to expel an Israeli diplomat over the use of forged British passports by suspected killers of a Hamas commander in Dubai.

The Foreign Office declined to comment on media reports but said Foreign Secretary David Miliband would make a statement on the matter at 1530 GMT.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied a role in the January killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a military commander from the Palestinian organisation Hamas, in a Dubai hotel room. Dubai's police chief says he is almost certain Israeli agents were involved and has accused the intelligence agency Mossad of insulting Dubai.

Dubai authorities have named 27 alleged members of the team that tracked and killed the Palestinian, and said they used fraudulent British, Irish, French, German and Australian passports to enter and depart from Dubai. The misuse of passports has drawn condemnation from the European Union.

Britain's Sky News said it did not know the level of seniority of the Israeli diplomat who faced expulsion.
The Israeli foreign ministry said it had no immediate comment on the report.

Britain last month called in the Israeli ambassador in London to discuss the issue but ambassador Ron Prosor said he was "unable to assist" the British with more information.

Police investigators from Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency have travelled to Dubai to investigate the matter.

Britain's normally warm relations with Israel have been strained by the threat of arrest for alleged war crimes faced by senior Israeli officials visiting Britain.

Britain expelled an Israeli diplomat in 1988 in an espionage row. The man, Arie Regev, was described at the time by informed British sources as an agent for Israel's Mossad secret service.

(REUTERS)