Hezbollah has said its fighters repelled two Israeli army attempts to infiltrate southern Lebanon, as Israel intensifies its ground offensive against the group.

According to AFP, having weakened Hamas, the Israeli military is now focused on Hezbollah, the Lebanese ally of the Palestinian group.

In a statement issued after midnight, Hezbollah said its fighters detonated an explosive device targeting Israeli forces and engaged in combat with them as they “attempted to infiltrate the border town of Blida” in the southeast.

In another statement, it said its fighters targeted Israeli soldiers with artillery “and rocket-propelled weapons” as they attempted to advance towards the border area of Labouneh at 4:55am.