August 25, 2008	Monday	Sha'aban 22, 1429

BEIRUT, Aug 24: Israel will be targeted by thousands of rockets if it attacks Iran, a senior official in the Tehran-backed group Hezbollah said on Sunday.

There has been speculation that either the United States or Israel could attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, although both have said force should be a last recourse in curbing a nuclear programme which they suspect aims to build atomic weapons.

“The first shot fired from the Zionist entity towards Iran will be met by a response of 11,000 rockets in the direction of the Zionist entity. This is what military leaders in the Islamic republic have confirmed,” said Mohammed Raad, the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc. His remarks were reported by the National News Agency.

Hezbollah has not said what it would do in the event of a conflict between Iran and Israel. Analysts count Hezbollah, which shares Iran’s ideology, as a major asset for the Islamic republic in the event of conflict.

Tehran has said it will respond severely to any attack.

Israel staged an air force exercise in June that triggered speculation about a possible assault on its nuclear sites.

Both Hezbollah and Israel have said the group has expanded its missile capability since the 2006 conflict.—Reuters