Israel is threatening to target the leader of the Islamic guerrilla group Hezbollah in Lebanon. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the threats came in response to a fiery speech that infuriated Israeli officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, right, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, left, attend weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, 20 Jan 2008

"Nasrallah is a madman, and I do not know why he is still breathing," said Minister Yitzhak Cohen. He said Nasrallah should have been killed a long time ago because he is a "dangerous enemy" of the State of Israel.

Cohen was responding to a gloating speech by Nasrallah on Saturday in Beirut, his first public appearance in nearly a year.

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, center, is seen escorted by his bodyguards as he walks between the crowds taking part in Ashoura commemorations in the Hezbollah stronghold of south Beirut, Lebanon, 19 Jan. 2008

The speech appeared aimed at pressuring Israel to accept a prisoner exchange. But Cabinet Minister Meir Sheetrit said Nasrallah had crossed all red lines, and Israel would not respond to what he described as "inhumane" demands.

"Israel should not negotiate with Nasrallah," Sheetrit said. "It should liquidate him."

Israel confirms that the body parts of some Israeli soldiers were left behind in Lebanon. But its biggest concern is winning the release of two soldiers whose kidnapping by Hezbollah sparked the war. It is not known if the soldiers are alive or dead, and Nasrallah kept Israel guessing: He did not say a word about their fate.