Israeli army radio said troops from the Egoz Unit and the reconnaissance company of the Golani Brigade operated near the outskirts of Zawtar al-Sharqiya, roughly 10 kilometers from the Israeli border.

The reported incursion marked one of the deepest publicly acknowledged Israeli ground movements into southern Lebanon since cross-border hostilities intensified earlier this year.

Israeli media said Hezbollah fighters emerged from a tunnel north of the Litani River during one clash, triggering direct fighting with Israeli troops.

Israel confirmed several soldiers were wounded during the operation but did not disclose the number of casualties.

According to Israeli broadcaster Channel 14, the military operations north of the river were intended to prepare routes for possible future movement of armored and infantry units toward areas from which Hezbollah had launched rockets and drones into Israel.

The Israeli military said it had struck more than 100 targets in southern Lebanon over the past week.

The escalation comes despite an April 17 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon aimed at reducing hostilities following months of fighting between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

Israeli airstrikes and artillery attacks have continued across southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah has maintained cross-border rocket and drone attacks targeting northern Israel.

Lebanese health authorities say more than 2,800 people have been killed since Israel intensified military operations against Hezbollah on March 2 as part of a broader regional offensive.

Israeli forces have also continued issuing evacuation orders for residents living south of the Litani River, urging civilians to move further north.

The Litani River has long held strategic importance in conflicts involving Hezbollah and Israel, particularly under the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which sought to limit armed group activity south of the river following the 2006 Lebanon war.