In a statement to Ynetnews Tuesday, Israel's deputy foreign minister, Danny Aayalon, denied any involvement by his country in the Egyptian spy ring case. He added that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu intends to contact President Hosni Mubarak to arrange a meeting regarding the case.

Aayalon said that Egypt had not provided Israel with any information on the case. He went on to insist that the Israelis charged with spying on Egypt are unknown, proving that the case is without foundation.

Egyptian authority sources said that it is in Israel's habit to issue a denial when such cases are revealed. General Sameh Saif El-Yazal told Ahram Online that Aayalon's statements do not correspond with the seriousness of the case as there is strong evidence linking Israel's involvement.

El-Yazal dismissed Israel's argument that the names of the accused Israelis are unknown by saying it is common for agents to assume false identities.

"Egypt will figure out the spies' real names and will arrest them even if it takes years to do so," he said.

El-Yazal added that in instances when Egypt demands a meeting to discuss such a case, Israel usually adds a list of other issues to the discussion in an attempt to dilute the accusation.

Commenting on Aayalon's statements, El-Yazal said that it is only natural that Egypt did not provide Israel with the details of the story since it involves purely Egyptian affairs.