JERUSALEM, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Saturday that it killed several Hezbollah members during a ground operation in southern Lebanon overnight.

A man prays over the graves of Hezbollah fighters killed, at Al-Hawraa Zaynab Cemetery during Eid al-Fitr in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Friday, March 20, 2026. (Photo: AP)

According to the statement, IDF troops identified and engaged several armed Hezbollah militants, killing one of them.

It added that they directed an airstrike against other militants who fired at IDF troops. Subsequently, three more were killed in tank fire, according to the Israeli army.

The Israeli army also said its air force struck several Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut.

No injuries were reported among the Israeli troops, it said.

Hezbollah announced the launch of rockets from Lebanon toward Israel at dawn on March 2 for the first time since a ceasefire was declared on Nov. 27, 2024. Israel subsequently launched what it described as an "offensive military campaign" against the group, including heavy airstrikes targeting Beirut's southern suburbs and areas in southern and eastern Lebanon.