As clashes between Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah and Israeli forces threaten to drag the two sides into open war, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah made an appearance in a televised statement, saying his forces have "complete strength and power" and "yearn for a ground conflict" with Israelis.

Known for leading the struggle against Israel's military presence in his country during the 1990s, the 46-year-old Shiite cleric is hailed as a hero by many Arabs in the region for his audacity to attack the Middle East's mightiest military power. Nasrallah has been the target of several failed assassination attempts of Israeli agents.

The recent Middle East crisis escalated when Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12. The soldiers had been taking part in Israeli retaliatory military offensives in Gaza, after gunmen related to ruling Hamas snatched an Israeli soldier on June 25 and demanded his exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Nasrallah, who helped found Hezbollah after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, has headed the organization since 1992. One of his sons was killed fighting against the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon in 1997.