Having weakened Hamas, whose unprecedented October 2023 attack on Israel triggered war in Gaza, the Israeli military is now focused on Hezbollah, the Lebanese ally of the Palestinian Islamist group.

In a statement issued after midnight, Hezbollah said its fighters detonated an explosive device targeting Israeli forces and engaged in combat with them as they “attempted to infiltrate the border town of Blida” in the southeast.

In another statement, it said its fighters targeted Israeli soldiers with artillery “and rocket-propelled weapons” as they attempted to advance towards the border area of Labouneh at 4.55am.

The resistance group says it has thwarted a number of such infiltration attempts since the Israeli military launched ground operations in Lebanon on Sept 30.