BEIRUT — Hezbollah’s chief yesterday vowed to retaliate against Israeli targets anywhere in the world, accusing Israel of assassinating militant commander Imad Mughniyeh, as tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters marched through south Beirut in a show of strength at Mughniyeh’s funeral.
Israel ordered its military and embassies around the world to go on alert yesterday and advised Jewish institutions to do the same, fearing revenge attacks. Israel has denied involvement in Mughniyeh’s killing in a car bombing Tuesday night in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Mughniyeh’s funeral took place on a tumultous day in Lebanon, underlining the deeply divided country’s fragility. Under a cold rain, tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters joined the funeral procession in south Beirut, while 8 kilometers away, tens of thousands of backers of the Lebanese government — bitter rivals of Hezbollah — held a rally in downtown Beirut to mark the third anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Amid fears of violence between the rival camps, thousands of troops were deployed between the rallies and blockades set up on major roads. The US Embassy encouraged American citizens in Lebanon to limit all but essential travel.
Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said the killing of Mughniyeh took place “outside the natural battlefield,” referring to the group’s stance that it only fights Israel within Lebanon and along their common border. That meant that Hezbollah’s response could also take place anywhere, he said.
“You have crossed the borders,” Nasrallah said, addressing Israel in a fiery eulogy delivered by video linkup at the funeral of Mughniyeh. “With this murder, its timing, location and method — Zionists, if you want this kind of open war, let the whole world listen: Let this war be open.”
Nasrallah spoke from an unkown location amid fears Israel will try to kill him. His image appeared on a giant screen in the funeral hall in south Beirut’s Roueiss district packed with thousands of Hezbollah supporters, who waved their fists, chanting “At your orders, Nasrallah.” Mughniyeh’s coffin lay draped in a Hezbollah flag with an honor guard of guerrilla fighters.
In a signal of Iran’s close ties to its ally Hezbollah, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki attended the funeral, offering his condolences and taking a seat between Mughniyeh’s father, Fayez, and Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem. Iran has also accused Israel of killing Mughniyeh. Mottaki read a statement from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying Mughniyeh was “not the first martyr, nor will he be the last on this path.”
In downtown Beirut, government supporters held their own rally, which they had hoped would be a show of strength to push the Hezbollah-led pro-Syrian opposition to compromise in the country’s unending political crisis. But Hezbollah’s anger over Mughniyeh’s death may make it even less likely to make concessions for a resolution, and the government is also showing no signs of backing down.
Tens of thousands of government supporters massed in Martyrs’ Square and at Hariri’s nearby gravesite, waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain former leader to mark the anniversary of his death. A statue of Hariri was unveiled at the spot where he was killed by a massive car bombing on Feb. 14, 2005.
A taped message broadcast from Hariri’s widow, Nazek, who lives in Paris, urged against “falling into hatred” and calling on “unity to save the country.” Recordings of church bells and the Muslim call to prayer were also played as a sign of unity.
But despite the gestures of unity, the scene on the ground was different. The crowd beat drums and cheered as speakers lashed out at the opposition, which they accuse of seeking to re-establish Syrian control in Lebanon.
The political crisis has already paralyzed the government for more than a year, prevented the country from choosing a president since November and fuels constant fears it could break down into violence. Speaking from a podium shielded by bulletproof glass, Saad Hariri, the slain prime minister’s son and now leader of the anti-Syrian majority in Parliament, vowed Syria “will not be able to take over Lebanon.”
