The leader of Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate the Nusra Front has threatened Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah with “hidden surprises,” saying the real battle is yet to begin.
“Nusra Front in Qalamoun has hidden surprises for the Iranian party [Hezbollah] and the real battle has not yet started,” the group’s leader Abu Mohammad Al-Joulani said in a tweet.
“Hasan Nasrallah will bite his fingers in regret,” Joulani said.
His threat came hours after Nasrallah vowed to press on with the battle against Islamist militants, saying they would be defeated across the region.
Hezbollah fighters have been battling rebels in Syria alongside government troops for nearly two years, drawing a series of deadly reprisals in Lebanon.
Jihadist groups, inluding Nusra and ISIS, have been behind several car bombs and suicide attacks in Beirut's southern suburbs and the eastern Bekaa Valley in areas where Hezbollah draws its main support.
Last month Nusra militants launched a surprise raid on Hezbollah posts in eastern Lebanon, killing at least eight Hezbollah fighters.
Nusra and ISIS have been holding 27 Lebanese soldiers and policemen captive on Lebanon's northeast border since a five-day battle broke out between the Army and militants.
