Two Israeli soldiers were killed and two others wounded on Thursday by Hezbollah fire in southern Lebanon, a military source confirmed to Xinhua.

During operations in the Lebanese village of Rajmin, 4 km north of the border, a Merkava tank was hit by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile, killing two soldiers and wounding two, said an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman.

The wounded soldiers, one seriously and one moderately injured, were air-lifted to Rambam Hospital in Haifa and treated in the emergency room, the spokesman added.

Hezbollah's anti-tank weapons, which can neutralize tank shields and destroy Israel's advanced tanks, pose one of the most complex threats to IDF troops in south Lebanon.

On Thursday, more Israeli troops penetrated into Lebanese territory to clear up border areas. Thousands of standing army and reservists were estimated to have been operating in southern Lebanon.

Earlier in the day, IDF reserve troops operating in southwestern Lebanon killed four Hezbollah gunmen. They also destroyed two rocket launchers and a warehouse in which rockets were stored.

The IDF is planning a new defensive line in southern Lebanon that will be six to eight kilometers north of the border.

Source: Xinhua