Hezbollah says in ongoing clashes with Israeli troops in Lebanon border area

Hezbollah said early Saturday it was engaged in ongoing clashes with Israeli troops in the Lebanon border area, after earlier saying it forced Israeli soldiers to retreat there.

“Israeli enemy soldiers renewed an attempt to advance towards the vicinity of the municipality in the village of Adaysseh”, and Hezbollah fighters confronted the attempt “and clashes are continuing”, the group said in a statement.

It said earlier that its fighters had forced Israeli troops to “retreat” in the same area.

The Iran-backed Lebanese group also said it targeted troops in south Lebanon’s Yarun area with a “rocket salvo”, as well as soldiers in two points across the border with rockets.

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging near-daily cross-border fire for almost a year, with the group saying it is acting in support of Palestinian ally Hamas over the Gaza war.

Israel, saying it is targeting Hezbollah in an effort to make Israel’s northern area safe for the return of displaced people, has intensified its bombardment, and this week announced its troops had started ground raids into parts of southern Lebanon. (BSS/AFP)