The Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah movement has said its fighters clashed at dawn on Wednesday with Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that eight of its troops were killed.
The Hezbollah militia added in a statement that its fighters had confronted an Israeli infantry force that had attempted to infiltrate the town of Adaisseh in southern Lebanon and forced it to retreat.
There were casualties on the Israeli side, it claimed. The Israeli military initially did not comment on the alleged ground fighting.
Lebanese state news agency NNA reported that Israel’s military was shelling Adaisseh and other surrounding areas with artillery and attacking from the air.
In several villages, Israel’s military had fired flares, which can help make combat areas more visible during overnight ground operations.
Ground troops can also use flares to signal their location to other units or aircraft.
