Arab League chief Amr Moussa blasted Israel's support for a possible U.S. military strike on Iraq, saying it cast doubt on what Washington was trying to gain by such an attack. "Israel's comments on any attack on Iraq add a dangerous dimension to any such move by the United States," Secretary General Moussa told the Qatar-based Al Jazeera satellite television network.

"This Israeli slant makes us question whether such a strike is actually linked to the return of weapons inspectors," he added, referring to the U.N.

investigators Baghdad has banned from returning to the country since their departure in 1998.

President Bush has said his administration will use all tools at its disposal to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. He has branded Iraq part of an "axis of evil" supporting terrorism and developing weapons of mass destruction.

Staunch U.S. ally Israel says it wholeheartedly supports any attack on Iraq, but insists that it would be a U.S. decision.

Israel is the arch-foe of many Arab countries, which oppose its occupation of Arab land. Anti-Israeli sentiment in the Middle East has also increased during the Palestinian independence uprising which erupted in September 2000.

Iraq has repeatedly denied the U.S. charges and has accused Washington of wanting to return the inspectors at all costs to update intelligence information for a possible attack.

Last week, Moussa said that all Arab states opposed any attack on fellow League member Iraq, adding that the 21-member Cairo-based organization was working on getting the arms inspectors back into Baghdad.

Iraq says any talks with the United Nations on the inspectors' return should also focus on lifting 12-year-old U.N. sanctions on Iraq and the U.S. and British enforced no-fly zones in southern and northern Iraq which were imposed after the 1991 Gulf War against Baghdad.

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Arab League chief Amr Moussa blasted Israel's support for a possible U.S. military strike on Iraq, saying it cast doubt on what Washington was trying to gain by such an a