Shia Lebanese man who posed as Jew says he hopes he would have 'right to kill' Hezbollah leader

A Lebanese Shia Muslim man who was exposed for impersonating an ultra-Orthodox Jew to get married has expressed regret, saying he wants to "rectify" the situation by actually converting to Judaism

Speaking to Israel’s Kan public broadcaster on Monday, Eliyah Hawila also addressed concerns that he is associated with Lebanon's Hezbollah movement and its affiliates.

"I tell them I’m not on your side. To hell with [Hassan] Nasrallah and [Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih] Berri and their antisemitism," he said. "I’m not afraid and I curse them and I say here in front of the cameras that I hope I will have the right to kill Nasrallah myself," he added.

Hawila, born Ali Hassan Hawila in mainly Shia southern Lebanon, reportedly lied about his identity to his Jewish wife, who he married in the US.

Her family found documents that belonged to him bearing a different name two weeks after the wedding.

His true identity sparked outrage among Jewish communities, who fear that Hawila might have been a spy and was working for a "terror group," such as Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which has previously fought several wars with Israel.

Rabbis have also expressed indignation that he managed to use deception in order to marry a Jewish woman.

Hawila, who is now in Israel and wants to convert to Judaism, told Kan that he wanted to "rectify" the situation after lying to his wife and others about his true identity.

"I said I would do it like a man and take responsibility, so I went with a legal conversion if it gives me the chance to be with my wife," he said.