BEIRUT, Lebanon —  Hezbollah is prepared for a new war with Israel but it will not start one, the militant group's deputy leader said in remarks published Wednesday.

Naim Kassem warned that Israel will pay "a high price" in any future conflict.

His comments, published in a Beirut daily close to Hezbollah, followed last month's threat by Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah to retaliate with an "open war" against Israel for the assassination of one of his top commanders, Imad Mughniyeh.

Mughniyeh was killed Feb. 12 in a car bomb in Damascus, capital of neighboring Syria. Hezbollah and Iran, its main backer, blamed his assassination on Israel, which denied any role.

Asked if there will be war, Kassem said: "Hezbollah cannot confirm because it does not want to initiate it." He added: "The Israelis know they have to pay a high price in any war."

Kassem also told Al-Akhbar daily that Hezbollah "is well-prepared to face an Israeli, American and international war."

He was apparently referring to the recent deployment of U.S. warships off Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, a move the U.S. has said was aimed at protecting its interesting in the region.

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