ASIO 'eyes dual-passport suspects'

ASIO began investigating dual Australian-Israeli citizens suspected of spying for Israel well before last month's assassination of the Hamas operative Mahmud al-Mabhuh, intelligence sources say.

Dubai police believe Israel was behind his murder.

This week authorities in Dubai revealed three dual Australian-Israeli citizens were among a list of 26 people whose identities were allegedly stolen by the suspects.

They are in no way linked to the three people ASIO is investigating, Fairfax newspapers say.

According to two Australian intelligence sources who have been in touch with Fairfax, the three men under surveillance have all emigrated to Israel within the last decade.

One of the men has changed his surname three times, while the other two have changed theirs twice.

After the name changes the men apparently obtained new Australian passports, which they used to gain entry to a number of countries that are hostile to Israel, including Iran, Syria and Lebanon.

Fairfax believes all three men share an involvement with a European communications company that has a subsidiary in the Middle East.

When two of the men were contacted by Fairfax both denied they had been involved in any kind of espionage activity.

ASIO said it had no comment to make on the case.