JERUSALEM (VINnews) — An Israeli officer and three soldiers from the Nahal Brigade’s reconnaissance unit were killed during a close-range clash with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, the military said late Monday.

The Israeli military said the troops were operating in the western sector of southern Lebanon, near the village of Beit Lif, when they encountered militants, triggering heavy exchanges of fire. Several of the militants were killed in the fighting, according to the military.

The soldiers were identified as Capt. Noam Madmoni, 22, a team commander from Sderot; Staff Sgt. Ben Cohen, 21, from Lehavim; and Staff Sgt. Maxim Antis, 21, from Bat Yam. The name of the fourth soldier has not yet been cleared for publication.

Three additional Israeli troops were wounded in the same incident, including one seriously and two moderately, the military said. All were evacuated to hospitals for treatment, and their families were notified.

The fighting is part of ongoing operations by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon amid escalating hostilities with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which joined the broader conflict earlier this month.

According to the military, the clash began during a search operation in the area and involved close-quarters combat. As forces evacuated the wounded, militants fired an anti-tank missile that did not cause additional casualties. Israeli forces responded with gunfire, tank shelling and airstrikes targeting the militants.

The latest incident comes as fighting intensifies along multiple fronts in southern Lebanon.