Hezbollah threatens Israel at slain commander funeral

By Nadim Ladki

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah threatened Israel with "open war" on Thursday and accused the Jewish state of killing a top commander who was among the United States' most wanted men.

"Zionists, if you want this type of open war then let the whole world hear: let it be an open war," Nasrallah told mourners at the funeral of Imad Moughniyah, a legend to Hezbollah but one of the men most wanted by Israel and the United States for planning attacks that killed hundreds.

Moughniyah, hunted by Israel and the United States for two decades, was killed by a bomb in Damascus on Tuesday.

Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah and its main backer Iran accused Israel of assassinating him. Israel rejected the charge, though its Mossad spy service had long sought to kill him.

Even before Nasrallah spoke, the Jewish state put its embassies and other interests abroad on high alert and boosted troop deployments on the Lebanese border for fear of reprisal.

"We have the right, like all human beings, of self-defense and, God willing, we will do whatever is required to defend our brothers, leaders, people and our country," Nasrallah said, addressing the mass funeral via video link.

He said the group's initial investigation into the killing showed that Israel was behind it. Nasrallah gave no details but said it was an attack outside the "natural battleground" -- both sides of the Lebanon-Israel border.

The United States voiced strong concern over his remarks. "Quite clearly, Hezbollah has a long record of carrying out violent acts, acts of terrorism around the globe," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.