Hezbollah chief makes rare public appearance

Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah made a rare public appearance on Tuesday,his first since 2008, during a rally marking the Muslim holy day of Ashoura in Dahaniya -- a suburb south of Beirut. Nasrallah greeted the crowd from the podium, saying his appearance was a message to those who believe they can "threaten and intimidate us." His appearance is meant to portray confidence at a time of upheaval in the Middle East and particularly in Syria, which along with Iran is Hezbollah's backer. Meanwhile, during a conference in Tel Aviv, a former IDF Intelligence General warned of the possibility of another war in Lebanon, adding that another conflict was expected in Gaza as well. Home Front Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said that Israel was considering the permanent deployment of an Iron Dome missile defense battery in the Haifa Bay area to protect the oil refineries there.