Hezbollah leader Nasrallah makes rare public appearance -- Preparing for war?

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah makes rare public appearance -- Preparing for war?

The leader of the Lebanese Shia Islamist group Hezbollah has made his first public appearance for several years at a rally in Beirut.

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah normally speaks to his supporters via video-link, but on Tuesday he addressed a crowd marking the religious festival of Ashura.

He said his appearance in the suburb of Dahiya was a message to those who believed they could "threaten us".

He has rarely been seen in public since Hezbollah's war with Israel in 2006.

The 34-day conflict left more than 1,200 Lebanese dead, most of them civilians. Some 160 Israelis, most of whom were soldiers, were also killed. more