'Should Israel Kill One of Our Fighters We Will Kill One of Theirs', Hezbollah Chief Warns

The tensions between Israel and Lebanon escalated on Tuesday after a "security incident" at the border. According to the IDF, Hezbollah militants fired two shots from across the border aimed at the Israeli troops. In response, Israel launched airstrikes against Hezbollah observation posts - reportedly for the first time since the 2006 war.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has stated that Israel will lose a soldier for every militant killed by their forces. He noted, however, that his organisation won't engage in clashes at the border, because "this is what Israel wants".

"Israel needs to understand that when they kill one of our mujahedeen, we will kill one of their soldiers. This is the equation", Nasrallah said during a televised speech, adding that it is only a matter of time.

Following the incident this week, Lebanon's Supreme Defence Council denounced what it called "Israeli aggression" and vowed to file a complaint at the United Nations.

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (2nd R), escorted by his bodyguards, greets his supporters at an anti-U.S. protest in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon September 17, 2012.

© REUTERS / SHARIF KARIM

Addressing the exchange of fire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Hezbollah "not to test Israel's crushing resolve".

The border clashes were reported just a few hours after the Lebanese government formally rejected an Israeli proposal to reform the United Nations peacekeeping force, which has been patrolling the border between the two nations since1978. The UN Security Council is expected to vote on renewing the force's mandate on 31 August.