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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah speaking at a rally honoring slain Hezbollah military chief Imad Mughniyah in Beirut on Friday. (Reuters)
Last update - 12:45 23/02/2008
Hezbollah chief: We're preparing for war with Israel in coming months
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, Hezbollah 

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that operatives within Lebanon were preparing for a new war with Israel in the coming months.

Nasrallah, who made a speech in honor of the "Islamic Resistance Week," maintained that activists from his organization are ready for battle against the Israel Defense Forces and will fight the IDF soldiers "in every wadi" in ways they haven't fought in the past.

The leader of the Lebanon-based guerilla group spoke at a rally in front of thousands who came to honor Imad Mughniyah, Hezbollah's deputy secretary general, who was killed in a car bombing in Damascus on February 12. Nasrallah also spoke about the 1992 targeted killing of his predecessor, Abbas Moussawi.
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"No one can protect the entire Israeli home front from our missiles," he said. "If they think of entering the south, to any valley, any hill, I swear you [Israelis] will carry your tanks and soldiers and your entire army will collapse under the feet of Imad Mughniyah," Nasrallah said

"I swear to you Haj Imad, your blood will not go to waste," Nasrallah said.

"We will defend ourselves the way we choose, at the time we choose, in the place we choose... With our will and bravery we will defend ourselves and our blood," he proclaimed.

At time of his death, Mughniyah was the commander of Hezbollah's guerrilla army. He had been on the United States' most wanted list and was hunted by Israeli intelligence for two decades for his role in a string of kidnappings, hijackings and attacks against Western and Israeli targets that killed hundreds in the 1980s and early 1990s. Though many accused Israel of the assassination, Israel denies any involvement.

"Destroying Israel is an inevitable outcome, a historic law, a divine doctrine," Nasrallah said. "When Israel won't have an army it won't survive, and that's what I said about Mughniyah's blood leading to the elimination of Israel."

He maintained that Hezbollah is waging an "open war" with Israel, emphasizing that "the war is open since 1948, before I was born."

Nasrallah said that Syria is responsible for investigating Mughniyah's assasination, and updating the Shiite organization with its findings.

He maintained that the investigation strengthened his view that Israel stood behind the assassination, praising Mughniyah's involvement in the kidnapping of Israeli businessman Elhanan Tennenbaum and forcing Israel to leave Lebanon in the year 2000.

Israel flights taking extra precautions due to Hezbollah hijacking threats
Israel is requiring that passengers on all incoming flights be confined to their seats in the half-hour before landing as part of heightened precautions against hijacking, aviation security sources said on Friday.

They said the Transport Ministry order, issued to local and foreign airlines on Wednesday, cited threats by Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas to avenge the February 12 assassination of their operations chief by waging "open war" against Israel.

"Our new policy is that planes lock their flight-deck doors and activate the 'please fasten seat belts' signs when 290 kilometers away from Israel," one Israeli security source said.

"It's a precaution against hijackers storming the cockpit in the final approach, given the current terrorist threat level," the source said, adding that previously it was up to the airlines to decide when to ask passengers to remain seated.

The Transport Ministry had no immediate comment.

The new Israeli aviation security standards may remain in force even if Hezbollah's threats of reprisals are not being borne out and the recent alert level is lowered, sources said.

Israel last year began requiring that all pilots who fly to its airports use the Security Code System (SCS), a local invention designed to ensure any plane commandeered for an al Qaida-style ramming attack is spotted and intercepted in time.

On most flights, which approach Israel from the west, pilots equipped with the SCS must enter a personalized, technologically secured code when 290 kilometers out, so that air traffic controllers in Tel Aviv know the cockpit is in the right hands.

Aviation experts have suggested that hijackers could wait for SCS compliance to have been established before striking. Keeping passengers seated until landing would help diminish such a threat, an Israeli security source said.

"The new regulations are definitely linked to our introduction of the SCS," the source said.

Since the al Qaida attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States has instituted mandatory pre-landing seating regulations for flights to some of its airports. There are also U.S. rules against incoming passengers congregating in plane aisles.

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  • ANALYSIS: Hezbollah terror chief was more wanted than Nasrallah
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      1.   Syria investigating the assassination? 18:50  |  Tulip 22/02/08
      2.   Nastirallah is boasting from safety 18:58  |  * BEN JABO 22/02/08
      3.   Cut Mullah`s Money to Hezbollah 19:00  |  Yari 22/02/08
      4.   onkel hassan 19:11  |  fish 22/02/08
      5.   attack these thugs 1st - they already stated their intentions 19:16  |  waste of sand 22/02/08
      6.   Haman? 19:18  |  Jon 22/02/08
      7.   Doctrine of ein breyrah applies 19:19  |  Stephen in New York 22/02/08
      8.   Nasrallah has never been wrong 19:21  |  Adeel 22/02/08
      9.   Big-Mouthed Yellow Belly at it again! 19:23  |  Mike 22/02/08
      10.   NO NO TO WAR 19:23  |  A Palestinian Guy 22/02/08
      11.   Oh Lebanese, be careful! Nasr.-Hezb. wants to take you to hell. 19:24  |  Vittorio 22/02/08
      12.   Its Not Fair 19:25  |  Michael 22/02/08
      13.   So nasalnada wabts to start another war 19:31  |  Adrian de Klerk 22/02/08
      14.   all this talk but the guy is in hiding, typical arab hypocricity 19:39  |  Igor D. 22/02/08
      15.   Adeel 19:47  |  Jane 22/02/08
      16.   When Israel has no Army...??? 19:48  |  John Doe 22/02/08
      17.   No more war, it brings destruction for all. 19:48  |  Abu Yusuf 22/02/08
      18.   What they found in the investigation publish it 19:50  |  Abdul Aziz Higazi 22/02/08
      19.   igorr... 19:50  |  aline 22/02/08
      20.   Never mind Lebanese agents,AG Mazuz is his best ally 19:54  |  Absolute Sweden 22/02/08
      21.   Mugniyah must have meant alot to these guys 20:01  |  Molly Mcguire 22/02/08
      22.   First comes Saturday, then comes Sunday... 20:03  |  Dave from Chicago 22/02/08
      23.   Ben Jabo is boasting from safety, daily 20:04  |  POP 22/02/08
      24.   Yeah Babe!! 20:04  |  Elan 22/02/08
      25.   I feel sorry for normal Lebanese 20:05  |  Tom C 22/02/08
      26.   Vittorio 11 20:05  |  northern wind 22/02/08
      27.   Civilian will not be the Target 20:06  |  Hajj Jafar 22/02/08
      28.   Nasrallah is Heartroken 20:08  |  Mostafa 22/02/08
      29.   Time to Prop Nasrallahs bed with Explosives 20:11  |  Gil 22/02/08
      30.   I hope it doesn`t clash with the Olympics 20:11  |  ..._ 22/02/08
      31.   Typical Israel Propaganda 20:13  |  Dav 22/02/08
      32.   and if olmert is P.M,israel will lose again 20:13  |  chaim 22/02/08
      33.   Adeel i like your joke :) 20:16  |  Steve 22/02/08
      34.   The name of the game 20:18  |  northern wind 22/02/08
      35.   Nasrallah prepares by hiding rockets under kids` beds 20:21  |  Gina 22/02/08
      36.   #8, Adeel has never been right! 20:21  |  DR 22/02/08
      37.   Hassan you asked for hudna you cannot go to war 20:26  |  get real 22/02/08
      38.   nasrallah 20:27  |  english jew 22/02/08
      39.   TO ALINE - BEIRUT 20:28  |  Gabriel 22/02/08
      40.   to Vittorio no 11 TO HELL 20:32  |  Tina 22/02/08
      41.   To aline 20:34  |  Oleg 22/02/08
      42.   There will be no more major wars in the ME 20:34  |  Arab 22/02/08
      43.   Thank you Palestinian guy, Abu Yusuf 20:35  |  Israeli guy 22/02/08
      44.   "From My Bunker"...please go and fight ! 20:35  |  Phil 22/02/08
      45.   We should finish what they start this time guys... 20:40  |  B`Galil 22/02/08
      46.   The Hizbullah. 20:41  |  Jean Van Daem 22/02/08
      47.   Nasrallah Did You Forget To Eat Mug`s Liver? 20:44  |  Yosemite 22/02/08
      48.   #23 POP is shooting off his mouth from where?? 20:44  |  * BEN JABO 22/02/08
      49.   What about the "normal" Lebanes 20:45  |  Angel 22/02/08
      50.   To Gabriel in Brazil 20:46  |  northern wind 22/02/08
      51.   # 42 Sad to see you go 20:47  |  fiona 22/02/08
      52.   to # 44 20:48  |  Nasar 22/02/08
      53.   To Aline in Beirut 20:50  |  B`Galil 22/02/08
      54.   Oh yeah, the Wise One has spoken! 20:58  |  Joe 22/02/08
      55.   Elemination of Israel 21:00  |  Resistance 22/02/08
      56.   Proof the UNIFIL (and UN) are worthless 21:04  |  Voice of Reason 22/02/08
      57.   SHAKE THE EARTH 21:04  |  CHET 22/02/08
      58.   Nasrallah threatens Lebanon again 21:11  |  peter 22/02/08
      59.   TO NORTHERN WIND 21:11  |  GABRIEL 22/02/08
      60.   to the israeli people 21:23  |  hkook 22/02/08
      61.   Hajj Jafar 21:25  |  Ralph 22/02/08
      62.   Ben Jabo Talking Loud ain`t Saying Nothing 21:29  |  BigBadJohn 22/02/08
      63.   #52 Nasar - are you serious? 21:31  |  Lourdes 22/02/08
      64.   to resistance guy from hell 21:35  |  TAZ 22/02/08
      65.   RE:WE`RE READY FOR WAR WITH ISRAEL WITHIN MONTHS 21:40  |  DAVID 22/02/08
      66.   to "northern wind" 21:46  |  TAZ 22/02/08
      67.   english jew (38) Adolf did dream of his wonder weapons. 21:47  |  Karl 22/02/08
      68.   Destroy Beirut Central District/Solidere! Dont spare an inch! 21:49  |  Proud Haifan 22/02/08
      69.   "Resistance" too bad you are too afraid and cowardly to read #43 21:54  |  jj 22/02/08
      70.