Hezbollah 'fully prepared' for war with Israel: Nasrallah

Head of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah said that the Lebanese group was "fully prepared" for a war with Israel in a speech on Friday commemorating "Jerusalem Day".

The highly anticipated speech occurred as both Lebanon and Israel braced for Iran's promised retaliation to Israel's 1 April bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus. The bombing killed at least 13, including two high-ranking Iranian military commanders.

Nasrallah described the attack as a "turning point." Iranian Supreme Leader Imam Sayyid Khamenei said that Iran will "make the Zionists repent of their crime of aggression against the Iranian consulate in Damascus."

He did not reveal any information about when Iran's response might take place but said that it was "inevitable."

"Everyone must prepare themselves and arrange their affairs and be careful when the Iranian side responds to the targeting of the Iranian consulate," Nasrallah said. He further added that if Israel retaliates against a potential Iran attack, a regional war could be triggered.

Israel announced on Wednesday that troops in its air defence division could no longer take leave in anticipation of a direct Iranian response to Israel.

Hezbollah is funded and supported by Iran and is considered to be the strongest military asset for the Islamic republic in the region.

Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in cross-border clashes since Hamas-led 7 October surprise attack on the Gaza envelope.

Nasrallah has repeatedly said the purpose of Hezbollah's attacks is to draw Israeli resources away from Gaza, where its military operation has killed over 33,000 people.

In recent months, the intensity and frequency of fighting have rapidly increased, raising fears that there would be a full-scale war between Lebanon and Israel.

Israel has carried out a series of high-profile assassinations of Hezbollah officers since January, most recently killing Hezbollah missile commander Ali Naeem in a drone strike in southern Lebanon.

It has also carried out airstrikes which have killed Lebanese civilians, including an airstrike which killed seven paramedics on 27 March.

Western and Arab diplomats have been engaged in mediation between the two parties to prevent an all-out war, which they fear could spill over into a regional war.

Hezbollah has repeatedly said it will not engage in negotiations until a ceasefire in Gaza is achieved, while Israel has demanded the group withdraw some 30 kilometres north of the shared border.

In his Friday speech, Nasrallah warned that it could launch 100 missiles at Israel with just a phone call.

"We need one call to carry out any operation, a call in which we request 100 missiles from the Golan [Heights] will be carried within a few minutes, to this degree we are ready," Nasrallah said.