An Israeli general warned on Monday that the risk of all-out war has increased in the Middle East where the Arab Spring of revolts could turn into a "radical Islamic winter."

"What was considered as the spring of the Arab people could turn into a radical Islamic winter, and this raises the likelihood of an all-out war in the region," General Eyal Eisenberg said.

"Weapons of mass destruction" could be used in a such a conflict, he said in a speech at the Institute for National Studies in Tel Aviv, quoted by Israeli army radio and public television.

The television said Eisenberg was probably referring to missiles with chemical warheads which could fall into the hands of Islamists if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime were to fall.

Revolts against authoritarian rule have swept Tunisia and Egypt, whose long-time presidents have been toppled, and spread across the Arab world to Bahrain, Libya, Morocco, Syria and Yemen.

Eisenberg also said the deterioration of Israel-Turkey ties could also contribute to a possible regional conflict.

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