Hassan Nasrallah, chief of Lebanon's Shiite group Hezbollah, said late yesterday that the group would start rocket attacks beyond the northern Israeli city of Haifa.

"We are entering a new phase in the confrontation with Israel and it is the phase of (firing rockets) beyond Haifa," Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Hezbollah's al-Manar TV.

So far, Haifa, the third largest Israeli city about 35 km south of the Israel-Lebanon border, has suffered most of Hezbollah's rocket attacks.

Nasrallah also said that any Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon would not stop Hezbollah from firing rockets into northern Israel.

Hezbollah guerillas have showered northern Israel with rockets since Israel launched a massive assault in Lebanon following the capture of its two soldiers by Hezbollah guerillas in cross-border attacks on July 12.