Hezbollah's Nasrallah: Bush's visit empowered Israel to 'wreak havoc'

Hezbollah's leader said Tuesday that United States President George W. Bush's visit to Israel had empowered the Jewish state to wreak havoc in Palestinian areas, and warned against a worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah also said that any U.S. attack on his patron Iran would be the biggest folly in American history.

His comments came as Bush toured the Middle East on a trip used in part to drum up Arab opposition against Iran, which Bush called the world's leading state sponsor of terror.

Responding to Bush, Nasrallah said Iran would defend itself against any U.S. attack.

"If America launches a war against Iran, it will be the biggest folly committed by America in its history," the black-turbaned cleric said in a speech broadcast on a giant screen in front of thousands of supporters in downtown Beirut.

Nasrallah suggested that if the U.S. attacked Iran, there would be such a backlash that American interests in the region would be destroyed."Who said that a war on Iran will achieve America's expectations?" Nasrallah asked.

Nasrallah's remarks regarding the Palestinian territories came hours after Israel Defense Forces troops killed 19 Palestinians in the bloodiest day of Gaza fighting since Hamas militants seized control there last summer.