CAIRO: The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood said Thursday he was ready to send 10,000 fighters to Lebanon to combat Israel alongside Hezbollah.

"I am ready to send immediately 10,000 mujahadin to fight the Zionists alongside Hezbollah," Supreme Guide Mohammed Mehdi Akef told AFP.

He admitted, though, that the chances were more than slim that any volunteers from Egypt would ever reach Lebanon. "There are enough people but you would need Arab regimes to authorize their deployment or at least turn a blind eye on their departure," Akef explained.

"Training ... is not as easy as it once was; there was a time when a week was all it took to train and arm fighters."

Israel launched a land, air and sea offensive against Lebanon following the July 12 capture of two its soldiers by guerrillas of Hezbollah.

Despite being Shiite movement, Hezbollah enjoys massive popular support in most of the Arab world for its resistance to Israel.

In a weekly statement distributed to the press on Thursday, Akef also lashed out at Arab regimes for failing to express their support for Hezbollah and take action to stop the bloodshed in Lebanon.

"The most appalling thing is that these heroic acts have not awakened the conscience of a single Arab regime," Akef charged.

"They have only one thing in mind and that is to cling to their positions and plunder their people's wealth," added Akef, who had promptly issued a statement to congratulate Hezbollah when they captured the soldiers.

The moderation of some Arab countries' criticism of Israel when the offensive began drew fierce reactions from the press and opposition movements in Egypt. AFP