BEIRUT: Israel's envoy to the U.N. told the Security Council Tuesday that Western Africa has become Hezbollah’s “powerbase,” urging the council to act swiftly, Ynetnews.com reported.

“Israel is particularly concerned over Hezbollah's use of the area [West Africa] as a base of terror operations. Criminal initiatives bolster Hezbollah's efforts to create sleeper-cells in the area,” Ron Prosor was quoted as saying by Ynetnews.

“The world can't stand idly by – this endangers more than just Africa but innocent lives the world over, as we have seen in New Delhi, Tbilisi and Bangkok," he added.

Hezbollah has denied any involvement in several recent security incidents in India, Georgia and Thailand against Israeli diplomats. Israel has accused both Iran and the resistance group of being involved in the botched plots targeting Israeli diplomats in these countries. Iran has also denied the charges.

The daily also reported that Prosor told the Security Council that “Israel could play a key role in the global fight against the infiltration of crime-backed terror activity into Western Africa,” offering Israeli help in forming an international intelligence agency that would work to foil “terror” attacks worldwide.

There have been several media reports tying the financing of Hezbollah to businessmen in West Africa who have allegedly aided the resistance group in arms smuggling operations.

A new York Times report released in mid-December said a U.S. probe into the Lebanese Canadian Bank, charged by the U.S. Treasury with money laundering and financing a “terrorist organization” last year, found that several businessmen – mainly Shiite, often known Hezbollah supporters – used the bank for businesses based in West Africa that appeared to be a front to enable Hezbollah to move funds.

In a speech earlier this month, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah denied media reports that his group was involved in money laundering or drugs trafficking to fund the group’s resistance against Israel.

He also denied media reports that Hezbollah was involved in any commercial ventures in or outside Lebanon.