Beirut  - The chief of Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, Thursday warned Israel against any attempt to assassinate members of his group.

"The resistance is aware of Israeli plans to assassinate and kill leaders in Hezbollah, but this would not hold us back," Nasrallah said, during a televised speech to mark two years of what he described as a "divine victory" against Israel in the July 2006 war.

"If the Lebanese people, the army and the resistance stay unified the bunch of losers in Israel won't be able to carry out their threats," he added.

Nasrallah claimed Israel planned the assassinations in order to put pressure on an upcoming national dialogue among Lebanese rivals, and subsequent talks on defense strategy and the fate of Hezbollah's arms.

"The resistance's strength lies in hiding its real capabilities," Nasrallah said, referring to Israeli reports which indicated that Hezbollah arsenal has increased since July 2006.

The Hezbollah chief used his speech to mock Israel's political and military leadership, especially Gal Hirsch, a brigadier general who served as commander of the Israeli army during the 2006 war, and later resigned.

"The entire front line of the army stepped down because of the war in Lebanon. Gal Hirsch, who was defeated in Lebanon, went to Georgia and they too lost because of him," said Nasrallah.

According to Israeli media reports, in recent years Hirsch was a consultant to the Georgian army on the establishment of elite units and also provided training in areas such as combat intelligence.

"What happened in Georgia is a message to all those the Americans are seeking to entangle in dangerous adventures," Nasrallah said.

Referring to the Syrian-Lebanese summit held on Wednesday and Thursday, Nasrallah said: "(President Michel) Suleiman's visit to Damascus is a major development and we hope that no one would hamper these efforts."

Lebanon and Syria have agreed to resume work on formally demarcating their common border as part of efforts to repair years of strained relations.

Lebanon and Syria have had strained relations since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. Many Lebanese blame Syria for the killing, but it has repeatedly denied its involvement. (dpa)