Israeli soldiers shot dead two suspected gunmen near a village on Israel's tense northern border with Lebanon, military sources said today.
"We confirm there was a shooting incident near the area of Ghajar village in northern Israel. Two gunmen - we don't know their nationality - were killed from Israeli Defense Force fire," a military source told Reuters news agency.
Lebanese security sources confirmed two gunmen were killed in the area, but had no information on their identity.
Earlier in the day, the Lebanese Hizbollah guerrilla group, which controls territory north of the border, said it fired anti-aircraft rounds at Israeli jets roaring over south Lebanon.
Israel withdrew forces from south Lebanon in May 2000 under the pressure of Hizbollah attacks after a 22-year occupation, but has flown regular sorties over the country since then.
The Iranian-backed Hizbollah, a Shi'ite Muslim movement, has carried out occasional attacks on Israeli army posts in the border region over the past three years.
The United Nations views both Israel's overflights and Hizbollah armed actions as a violation of the terms of Israel's pullout and has repeatedly urged calm on the border, which has seen several flare-ups in recent months.