Israeli and European intelligence agents recently foiled a major terrorist attack in Europe, security officials announced Wednesday. The attack, which was planned by Hizbullah, was to target an Israeli institution.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak raised alert levels last week due to fears that Hizbullah would attempt to carry out attacks in revenge for the assassination of Hizbullah arch-terrorist Imad Mughniyeh. February 12 will be the first anniversary of Mughniyeh's death.

Israeli agents reportedly expect Hizbullah to attack an Israeli or Jewish target in Europe or elsewhere overseas, in order to avoid taking blame. Similar attacks have been carried out in the past: Hizbullah is believed to have been behind the 1992 and 1994 terrorist bombings in Buenos Aires targeting Jewish and Israeli structures.

A number of planned attacks on Israeli targets abroad have reportedly been foiled since Mughniyeh's assassination, including a large attack on the Israeli embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan. Another attack was foiled in the Sinai Peninsula.

The group will not attack on Israel's northern border due to fear of a harsh response, intelligence officials say. Recent attacks on the northern border were attributed to relatively small Lebanese terrorist groups operating alongside Hizbullah.