Israel ordered its embassies on high alert and the FBI put US terror squads on guard to protect Jewish institutions after Hezbollah's leader vowed to retaliate anywhere in the world for the assassination of one of its top commanders.
"Zionists, if you want this kind of open war, let the whole world listen: Let this war be open," Hassan Nasrallah said on Thursday to a throng of fist-waving mourners who attended the funeral of Imad Mughniyeh, the mastermind of terror spectaculars that claimed hundreds of American lives.
Thousands of mourners raised their fists in the air, chanting, "At your orders, Nasrallah" in response to Nasrallah, who appeared via video. He has been in hiding since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon.
Nasrallah's fiery speech signaled the Iranian-backed Shiite group was ending its policy of battling Israel only on Israeli or Lebanese territory, raising the specter of attacks in Western or other countries.
Hezbollah and its Iranian backers blamed Israel for Mughniyeh's death in a car bombing on Tuesday in Damascus, Syria. Israel denied involvement.
Nasrallah said Israel had taken the fight outside the "natural battlefield" of Israel and Lebanon.
"You have crossed the borders," he said.
Unlike Middle Eastern leaders who have indulged in exaggerated rhetoric, Nasrallah is known for acting on his threats. In 2006, he vowed to take action to free Lebanese prisoners in Israel, and in July that year, Hezbollah guerrillas staged a daring cross-border raid that snatched two Israeli soldiers as bargaining chips.
The incident triggered a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah that devastated southern Lebanon. It ended with the Israeli soldiers still captive and no deal for a prisoner swap has yet been reached.
Fearing revenge attacks after Mughniyeh's assassination, Israel ordered its military and embassies overseas on high alert on Thursday and recommended Jewish institutions worldwide do the same.
In Washington, the FBI put its domestic terror squads on alert for any threats against synagogues or Jewish centers in the US.
Officially, the Israeli government denied involvement, but speaking privately, Israeli military officials were more vague, refusing to confirm or deny involvement.
Israel has reacted with similar ambiguity after past assassinations widely believed to be the work of its spy agency, the Mossad. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that Hezbollah's statements were "quite concerning and they should be alarming to everyone."
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