BEIRUT, Lebanon: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that Israel threatened to begin a new war with the militant group by assassinating top commander Imad Mughniyeh — a battle he said would lead to the country's defeat.

Nasrallah said Mughniyeh's death in a car bombing earlier this month in Syria was a "pre-emptive" strike meant to set the stage for the assassination of more of Hezbollah's top leaders.

"The Israelis are definitely threatening a war," Nasrallah told tens of thousands who gathered in southern Beirut for a memorial for Mughniyeh and two other Hezbollah leaders who were killed in the 1980s and 1990s.

"We consider Hajj Imad's assassination as a pre-emptive operation, not merely an act of revenge," the Shiite cleric added, using a title of respect for the slain commander reserved for Muslims who complete a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Israel has denied involvement in the Feb. 12 car bombing that killed Mughniyeh in the Syrian capital of Damascus. But Hezbollah has repeatedly accused Israel, and Nasrallah said Friday that the group's probe into the assassination "increased our conviction of Israeli responsibility."

Nasrallah vowed to retaliate for Mughniyeh's slaying and promised Hezbollah would defeat Israel if it attacked Lebanon again, like it did in its 2006 summer war against the guerrilla group.

"We will not allow the enemy to persist in killing our commanders. We will choose the place and time to retaliate," the bearded Nasrallah said by video link to his supporters, who greeted his words with cheers and bursts of gunfire.

The Hezbollah leader repeated a threat to strike Israel with scores of rockets if the country attacked Lebanon, saying the group was "ready for a confrontation and ready to defend and make a good victory, God willing."

"Your army and its tanks will be destroyed in the south and Israel will be without an army and then it will be no more," he added.

Nasrallah threatened Israel with an "open war" last week after Mughniyeh's killing, a comment that has sparked criticism and fears at home and abroad. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have issued travel advisories to their citizens in Lebanon, and two French cultural centers were closed in the country this week.

The Hezbollah leader sought to assuage domestic fears Friday, assuring foreigners in Lebanon that they were not the target for future attacks by saying "our enemy is Israel and our revenge is against Israel."

Mughniyeh gained notoriety in the 1980s during Lebanon's civil war for attacks against American interests and for kidnapping foreigners in Lebanon.

Nasrallah disclosed Friday that Mughniyeh also led an operation in 2000 along the border with Israel that resulted in the capture of two Israeli soldiers. The soldiers were killed during the attack, and their bodies were later exchanged for Lebanese and Arab guerrillas held by Israel.