‘We will destroy Israel-bound ships’

Nasrallah threatens retribution if Israel imposes sea blockade in war.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS, JPOST.COM STAFF
nasrallah 311 (photo credit: AP)
nasrallah 311
(photo credit: AP)
BEIRUT — If Israel imposes a sea blockade on Lebanon in a future war between them, Hizbullah would attack Israeli ships in the Mediterranean, the organization’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah warned Tuesday.
Nasrallah said his Iranian-backed group now had the capacity to inflict as much harm on Israel as it inflicted on Lebanon in 2006, and is capable of destroying any military or commercial ships heading to Israeli ports.
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In the 2nd Lebanon War in 2006 Israel imposed a sea and air embargo on Lebanon to prevent Hizbullah from being resupplied with weapons.
"In any future war, if you blockade our coasts and ports, all the military, civil and commercial ships heading to ports in occupied Palestine along the Mediterranean will come under Hizbullah rocket attack," Nasrallah said.
Addressing supporters through a video link at a huge rally south of Beirut, Nasrallah repeated past threats that his group would rocket Tel Aviv airport and other strategic targets if Israel's military strikes Lebanese infrastructure as it did in 2006.
He added: "We are capable of targeting, striking and destroying your ships as they head to any port on the coast of occupied Palestine from north to south."
Thespeach comes against the background of rising tensions in the region over Israeli claims that Hizbullah has acquired Scud missiles from Syria and Iran. Syria has denied supplying the group with weapons, and Nasrallah refused to confirm or deny those claims.