Updated

The leader of the militant Hezbollah group said this week's cross-border attack was a message that it will no longer tolerate any Israeli attacks against its members.

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told thousands of supporters in south Beirut Friday that Hezbollah does not fear war and is ready if Israel provokes further violence.

It was Nasrallah's first comments since six Hezbollah fighters and an Iranian general were killed on Jan. 18 in an Israeli airstrike in Syria. The group retaliated on Wednesday with a cross-border rocket attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded seven.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah will no longer abide by any rules of engagement, stating that Hezbollah has the right to retaliate against any future Israeli attack at the time and place of its choosing.