AL-HALLOUSIYEH, Lebanon • In this southern Lebanese village which suffered heavy destruction during the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, Hassan busies himself digging a shelter in the mountainside. In another village nearby, Iman is desperate for a visa to any country that will grant her one.

They are among many residents across south Lebanon fearful of a new conflict following the vitriol unleased on the Jewish state in recent days by the head of the militant group Hezbollah and its ally Iran.

Hassan Nasrallah, the Shia Muslim group's chief, declared "open war" on Israel following the killing of one of its top leaders last week, while Iran stepped up its rhetoric against Israel after his death.

The threats have sent jitters across Lebanon. The fear is worst in villages in the south where residents have

barely recovered from the 34-day war that killed more than 1,200 civilians in Lebanon, a third of them children, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. "Since the last war, I have been living on anti-depressants," said Iman, 51, whose home near the coastal city of Tyre was bombed during the war.

"And after the latest threats made by Nasrallah, I have been trying to get a visa to any country that will take me. There is nowhere to hide and I can't take this anymore." In another village southeast of Tyre that was heavily bombed by Israeli warplanes during the war, Mohammed Balhass, 23, is expecting the worst.

"Nasrallah would not have spoken of open war if Hezbollah couldn't stand its ground against Israel," he said. "But, unfortunately, we are the ones who always pay the price."

Dozens of residents interviewed in a number of villages across the region said that while they by no means support Israel, they are also not willing to pay a heavy price again in the event of another conflict.

"We have barely recovered from the 2006 war and if there is another conflict today, who is going to help us?" questioned Mohammed Srour, 49, from the border village of Aitaash Shaab. "This is all a game between the major powers and we are helpless in the face of all this," he added, raising his hands to the sky.