STORY: Hezbollah leader vows to wage comprehensive war against Israel if it expands attacks on Lebanon
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 3, 2024
DATELINE: Jan. 5, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:32
LOCATION: Beirut
CATEGORY: POLITICS/ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of attendees of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah speech
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): SAYYED HASSAN NASRALLAH, Hezbollah leader

STORYLINE:

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned on Wednesday night to attack Israel "without restraint" if Israel expands its attacks against Lebanon, local TV channel al-Manar reported.

Nasrallah made the remarks in a televised speech to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the assassination of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack on Jan. 3, 2020.

Meanwhile, Nasrallah said the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas' deputy chief, and other Hamas officials in Beirut a day earlier was "a dangerous crime."

He said the current confrontation on Lebanon's southern border has been limited, considering the priority of protecting Lebanon's stability and security.
   
However, "if Israel expands its attacks ... all our power will be used to attack Israel; we do not fear the war, and we are not hesitant about it; otherwise, we would have stopped fighting on the southern front," he said.

The Lebanon-Israel border witnessed increased tension since Oct. 8 after the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attacks on Israel the previous day, prompting Israel to respond by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beirut.
(XHTV)