Independent today.

Fears Western intervention in Syria may spark a wider regional war were raised on Monday after Hezbollah warned it would retaliate against Israel in the event of an attack.

The Lebanese Shia group said it would respond to a US attack with missile strikes of its own, directed at Israel. The group said it would launch the retaliatory strike from within Syria – where its fighters have been supporting the Syrian army in its fight against rebels for the past year – in order to shield Lebanon from becoming embroiled in the conflict.

"Hezbollah is controlling 8,000km in Homs and will not hesitate to participate in an attack by firing surface-to-surface missiles from Syria," a source from the joint operations between Hezbollah and Syrian forces said in comments published in the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper.