The Israeli army says it killed six Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army said its soldiers had killed six Hezbollah fighters in a village in southern Lebanon on Friday during exchanges of fire.

According to the army, soldiers identified six members of the Shiite group in the village of Bint Jbeil, an area where intense fighting took place before the ceasefire that came into effect on April 17.

“After identification, intense gunfire broke out between the terrorists and the soldiers, during which the soldiers eliminated two terrorists,” the army said in a statement.

“Subsequently, the soldiers targeted the structure from which the terrorists were operating. The remaining four terrorists were also eliminated,” the same source said.

On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of trying to “sabotage” peace efforts between Lebanon and Israel, following the announcement of an extension of a ceasefire between the two countries.

Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, the Israeli army has taken control of a strip of Lebanese territory about ten kilometers deep along the border.

AFP