Mashaal warns of consequences if Israel attacks

Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal has warned of disastrous consequences if the US and Israel decide to play the aggression card, Israel Radio reported. In an interview with the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat published on Sunday, Mashaal speculated that Israel was likely to attack if it were unable to isolate Hamas in Gaza. He added that Hamas was against holding early Palestinian Authority elections, saying that anyone who wanted to push up the election date planned to falsify the results in order to keep his group from winning again.