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Israel's military chief Ehud Barak has expressed concern that if power transition happens quickly in Egypt, Muslim brotherhood (MB) will come into power.

Following a Thursday statement by the embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the Israeli official, who is in Washington, emphasized on the need to prevent Egypt from falling into the hands of what he described as “extremists,” saying the country needs more time for change.

“The real winners of any short-term election, let's say within 90 days, will be the (opposition) Muslim Brotherhood,” Reuters quoted Barak as saying.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced in a TV address on Thursday night that he does not intend to step down and will never leave Egypt.

His remarks have sparked fury among pro-democracy protesters across the country who had long urged his immediate resignation.

The protesters took off their shoes and brandished them at the screen on which they had seen Mubarak's speech, and shouted "Down with Mubarak, leave, leave!"

Others called for an immediate general strike and called on the army -- which has deployed large numbers of troops around the square -- to support the Egyptian nation instead of Mubarak's “illegitimate” regime.

Meanwhile, a Press TV correspondent reported that furious crowds of people at Cairo's' Liberation Square, which has become the focal point of pro-democracy demonstrations, moved toward Mubarak's palace to vent out their outrage at the decision.

Reports say more than 300 people have been killed by security forces and thousands have been injured since the beginning of the revolution on January 25.

Israel favors Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman to be Mubarak's successor, leaked US diplomatic cables say.

The former head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate was appointed the second-in-command on January 29 amid an emerging revolution in the troubled country and mounting popular demands for the ouster of the despotic, pro-Western Mubarak.

Suleiman is accused of playing a key role in the controversial CIA rendition program, under which individuals would be snatched from different countries by US agents without any legal proceedings and subjected to harsh interrogations and torture in US-backed countries, including Egypt.