Israel says drone killed militants trying to cross from Lebanon

Israeli forces on Saturday said they had killed several "terrorists" trying to cross from Lebanon amid heightened tensions and after repeated cross-border shelling.

The military "identified a terrorist cell which attempted to infiltrate from Lebanon into Israeli territory," a military spokesman said, adding that a drone strike "targeted the terrorist cell and killed a number of the terrorists."

An Israeli army spokesman said the Lebanese government will be held responsible for any attack from Lebanon against Israel. "Anyone who tries to penetrate the border towards our territory will be killed," the spokesman warned.

Israel has been at war with the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas, which launched a major attack from Gaza on October 7 in which its gunmen reportedly killed at least 1,300 people in the worst ever attack on Israel.

Israel has since launched a deadly and devastating bombing campaign on Hamas targets in the crowded territory of Gaza ahead of a likely ground invasion.

Lebanon's Hezbollah said Friday it was "fully prepared" to join its Palestinian ally Hamas in the war against Israel when the time is right.

Arab countries and the United Nations have urged Hezbollah to stay out of the growing conflict, but the Lebanese-based group's deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said the movement would not be swayed.

Amid the mounting tensions, Israel shelled two villages in south Lebanon near the border on Friday, Lebanese security sources said, following a blast on the border fence. That blast was reportedly part of a failed infiltration attempt by a Palestinian group.

A Reuters journalist was killed and six others, from AFP, Reuters and Al Jazeera, were wounded in southern Lebanon on Friday when Israeli fired a missile at a group of journalists during cross-border shelling.

On Monday, Hezbollah had said Israeli strikes had killed three of its members, while Palestinian fighters claimed a thwarted infiltration bid.

On Tuesday, Israel said it hit Hezbollah observation posts and a day later, Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli position near the Lebanese village of Dhayra. Retaliatory Israeli fire wounded three people.