HEBOLLAH DECLARES OPEN WAR ON ISRAEL

Hezbollah leader declares 'open war' on Israel (AFP)
BEIRUT (AFP) - Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared "open war" on Israel in a fiery speech at the funeral Thursday in the Lebanese capital of a top commander killed in a car bombing he blamed on Israel.

"If the Zionists want war, then they shall have it," Nasrallah said in a speech broadcast at the funeral of Imad Mughnieh. "If you want an open war, then let it be an open war."

He added that the 2006 war between his militant group and Israel was not over and that his followers stood ready for combat.

"The July war is not over, it is ongoing and no ceasefire was ever declared," Nasrallah said "The blood of Imad Mughnieh will contribute to the disappearance of the Jewish state."