Israel says it killed several Hezbollah fighters in south Lebanon

The Israeli military said on Saturday that it killed several Hezbollah fighters in south Lebanon and that an Israeli soldier was injured there despite a ceasefire.

The military said it identified several Hezbollah fighters overnight inside what Israel has labelled a “security zone” in southern Lebanon which its forces occupy.

“Following the identification, the soldiers struck the terrorists and eliminated them in order to remove the threat,” the military said in a statement.

Israeli forces “will continue to operate to remove any threat to its soldiers and will not allow the Hezbollah terrorist organisation to harm Israeli civilians”, it said.

An Israeli soldier was moderately injured, the military said earlier, and was evacuated to a hospital for treatment.

When contacted by Agence France-Presse journalists in Beirut, Hezbollah did not comment. The Iranian-backed militant group has not claimed any attacks since June 20.