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Hezbollah leader warns Israel as Shiites mark Ashoura

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah speaks via a video link during activities marking the holy day of Ashoura, in southern Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. Ashoura is the annual Shiite Muslim commemoration marking the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah speaks via a video link during activities marking the holy day of Ashoura, in southern Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. Ashoura is the annual Shiite Muslim commemoration marking the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

By Associated Press October 1, 2017 1 min read

BEIRUT (AP) – The leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has marked the Shiite religious holiday of Ashoura with a speech warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against pushing the region into war.

Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech Sunday that Netanyahu is working with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to undermine the Iran nuclear deal and start a regional war. He warned Israel not to underestimate Hezbollah’s capabilities.

Shiites across the region are marking the holiday with prayers and marches and, in some cities, self-flagellation.

Ashoura commemorates the day the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein, was killed by a rival Muslim faction in Karbala, present day Iraq, in 680 A.D. Hussein and his descendants are seen by Shiites as the rightful heirs to the prophet.