8A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2008
MIDDLE EAST
Hezbollah's leader declares open war on Israel
Hezbollah fighters honor-guard the coffin during the funeral of top Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, his picture in the background, at the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday. Hezbollah's chief vowed to retaliate against Israeli targets abroad after accusing Israel of taking the fight beyond Lebanese borders by assassinating militant commander Imad Muhniniyeh in Syria.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY SCHEHEREZADE
FARAMARZI
Associated Press
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israel ordered its embassies on high alert and the FBI put U.S. terror squads on guard to protect Jewish institutions after Hezbollah's leader vowed Thursday 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 told a throng of fist-waving mourners who attended the funeral of Imad Mugniyeh, the mastermind of terror spectaculars that claimed hundreds of American lives.
Thousands of black-clad 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.
Nasralahh's fiery speech signaled the Iranian-backed Shiite group was ending a years-long 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 Tuesday in Damascus, the Syrian capital.
"Zionists, if you want this kind of open war, let the whole world listen: Let this war be open."
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 United*
NASSAN NASRALLAH
Hezbollah leader
Israel denied involvement.
Unlike Middle Eastern leaders who have indulged in exaggerated rhetoric, Nasallah is known for acting on his threats.
Fearing revenge attacks after Mughniyeh's assassination, Israel ordered its military and embassies overseas on high alert yesterday
States.
The events in Beirut raised fears that Lebanon's internal turmoil could worsen. Earlier in the day, tens of thousands of Hezbollah's pro-Western political opponents filled a downtown Beirut
square to mark the anniversary of former Prime Minister Rafik Haririfi's 2005 assassination.
Fearing clashes, authorities deployed thousands of troops. The two mass gatherings ended with a few fights involving fists, sticks and knives between government supporters and opponents that left at least four injured.
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
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
Some experts suggested that Hezbollah could count on Iran for help on any attacks against Israeli targets. "The only aspect that is uncertain about Hezbollah's retaliation is its timing and location. Its happening and lethality are almost certain," said Bilal Saab, a Middle East security researcher at the Brookings Institution.
The funeral hall in the Roeiss neighborhood of south Beirut was packed with mourners in front of Mugniyeh coffin, draped in a Hezbollah flag. Two giant post-
personal mug-
ers of the bearded
militant leader in
a cap and mi-
tary fatigues were
hung behind
the coffin, with
a banner read-
ing. "The Great
Commander
Martyr
— Haji
Imad Mughniyeh."
Some mourners
cried as a band
plaved Lebanon's national anthem and the guerrilla group's anthem. Outside in the rain, tens of thousands massed.
"Mughniyeh's blood will lead to the elimination of Israel. These words are not an emotional reaction," he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who attended the funeral, offered condolences to the family and Mughniyeh's associates. Underlining Iran's close ties to Hezbollah, he sat between Mughniyeh's father and Hezbollah's deputy leader.
Nasrallah warned Israel that its alleged killing of Mughniyeh was a "very big folly" which will be avenged.
"He's not the first martyr, nor will he be the last on this path," Mottaki said, reading a statement from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. "There will be
"Hezbollah has a long record of carrying out violent acts and acts of terrorism around the globe."
SEAN MCCORMACK State Department spokesman
hundreds and millions more" like him.
The coffin was then carried through the crowds of mourners, who marched with it to a nearby cemetery, praying aloud.
some chanted "Death to Israel" and "Death to America."
Mughniyeh's killing exacerbated tensions at a time when Lebanon is already entrenched in a longrunning political crisis between the Hezbollah-led opposition and the U.S.-backed government. Government backers accuse Hezbollah of seeking to restore Syrian domination of the country, while the opposition says the government is putting Lebanon in the hands of the United States and Israel.
Earlier in the day, tens of thousands gathered in the main Martyrs' Square of downtown Beirut to commemorate the third anniversary of Hariri's assassination. The anti-Syrian rally appeared larger than the crowds at Mughniyeh's funeral, but it had been planned weeks in advance.
Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, crowds paid respects at Hariri's grave site as his brother, Shafik, unveiled a statue of Hariri at the spot where he was killed. The sound of beating drums mixed with cheers from the crowd as speakers lashed out at the opposition.
Saad Hariri, the late premier's son, launched a scathing attack against the Syrian government. But he spared Hezbollah, apparently in deference to the funeral, and even reached out to the opposition, saying: "Our hand will remain extended no matter what difficulties and conspiracies there are."
When Saad Hariri alluded to Mughniyeh's funeral, the crowd booed.
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WEATHER
BY JESSICA M. PASKO ASSOCIATED PRESS
Winter storm afflicts Northeast region
The Maine Legislature called off its session for the day and federal agencies opened two hours late in Washington. The Army's Fort Drum in northern New York state canceled all outdoor physical fitness training.
ALBANY, N.Y. - A powerful winter storm spread more than a half-foot of snow across parts of the Northeast on Wednesday, closing hundreds of schools and switching off the lights for thousands of homes and businesses.
The National Weather Service reported 10 inches of snow in Maine at Auburn and Lisbon Falls, 8.5 inches at Fitchburg, Mass., and 3 to 5 inches in eastern New York state, where ice was up to a half-inch thick. Winter storm warnings were in effect for much of New England and northern New York state, along with flood warnings in wide areas as heavy rain combined with melting snow.
Combined snow and sleet accu-
The storm system had been blamed for at least 15 deaths since Monday.
mutations could reach a foot in parts of northern New York, the weather service said.
The storm pummeled much of
The storm p the Ohio Valley with ice and snow on Tuesday as it followed a northeasterly track toward New England. Precipitation in New England started as snow, changed over to sleet and freezing rain, and was expected to
Albany, N.Y. "The big deal with the weather like this is the other guy you have to watch out for on the roads. Everyone's got a different driving style."
Thousands of customers were without power in New Jersey
"The big deal with the weather like this is the other guy you have to watch out for on the roads."
PETER ROSSI New York resident
change completely to rain during the day. Farther south, rain soaked the Eastern Seaboard from North Carolina to the New York metropolitan area.
"I guess we wouldn't be here (the Northeast) if it bothered us," Peter Rossi said as he had breakfast in
in New Jersey,
New York's
Hudson Valley,
Connecticut,
Virginia, West
Virginia, Maine
and Maryland.
More than 10,000 customers still had no power Wednesday in southwest Missouri, where the ice struck on
"This snow may be heavy and sticky, and after the changeover there could be significant icing in some areas — this kind of weather can be hard on our system," said Central Maine Power Co. spokesman John Carroll.
Monday.
Many flights in and out of Portland International Jetport were canceled Wednesday morning, and bus services reported cancellations and delays. Philadelphia International Airport reported numerous cancelations and delays, and ice and freezing rain shut down Connecticut's Bradley International Airport at Hartford for nearly five hours during the morning.
Weather-related delays averaged nearly five hours during the morning at the New York area's La Guardia Airport and nearly three hours at Newark International Airport, said Arlene Salac-Murray, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Three buildings collapsed under the weight of the wet snow in New Hampshire, but no injuries were reported.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service issued a flood warning Wednesday for parts of Rhode Island, as heavy rainfall caused the Pawtuxet River to suddenly rise along its lower reaches.