Hezbollah chief vows revenge
2008-03-24 20:16
Beirut - Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Monday to avenge last month's slaying of a top commander in Syria, and said that most Lebanese were united in their wish to see Israel disappear.
He said Hezbollah will choose the "time, the place, the way and the means" by which the Shi'ite group would seek revenge for the death of Imad Mughnieh in a Damascus car bombing on February 12.
"The Israelis are worried as they should be because our blood will not be spilled in vain," said Nasrallah via video link at a ceremony at his Beirut stronghold marking the end of a 40-day mourning period for Mughnieh.
Israel has denied Hezbollah accusations that it was involved in his murder.
"Those who killed Mughnieh must be punished and must taste vengeance," Nasrallah said to the cheers of thousands of Hezbollah supporters.
He added that a poll conducted by clerics after Mughnieh's murder showed that nearly all Lebanese - be they Sunni, Christian, Druze or Shi-ite - wanted to see Israel disappear.
Nasrallah had threatened to wage "open war" against Israel after Mughnieh's death, prompting the Jewish state to alert its citizens travelling abroad to exercise extreme caution for fear of reprisals.
- AFP