2 Israeli soldiers, UN peacekeeper killed

Lebanon, Jan 29 (Reuters): Two Israeli soldiers and a Spanish peacekeeper were killed Wednesday in an exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israel, one of the most violent clashes between the two sides since a 2006 war.
The soldiers were killed when Hezbollah fired five missiles at a convoy of Israeli military vehicles on the frontier with Lebanon.
The peacekeeper, serving with a UN monitoring force in southern Lebanon, was killed as Israel responded with air strikes and artillery fire, a UN spokesman and Spanish officials said.
Hezbollah said one of its brigades in the area had carried out the attack, which appeared to be in retaliation for a Jan. 18 Israeli air strike in southern Syria that killed several Hezbollah members and an Iranian general.
"Those behind the attack today will pay the full price," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned later on Wednesday, in televised remarks as he met with security chiefs.
The Israeli military confirmed the deaths of the soldiers, saying they had been attacked while driving in unmarked civilian vehicles on a road next to the fence that marks the hilly frontier. Seven other soldiers were wounded.
Andrea Tenenti, spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which employs more than 10,000 troops, said the peacekeeper's death was under investigation.
BBC report adds: Israel says it has received a message from Lebanese militant group Hezbollah saying it does not want a further escalation after border clashes on Wednesday that killed three people.
Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said the message was passed by the UN mission, but Israeli troops remained "prepared".
The two Israeli soldiers killed in the exchange were buried on Thursday. A Spanish UN peacekeeper was also killed.
Hezbollah and Israel fought a deadly war in 2006, which ended in stalemate.
That conflict lasted a month and caused death, destruction and disruption on both sides of the border.