Israeli troops 'kill two gunmen'

Israeli soldiers have shot dead two gunmen near the northern border with Lebanon, according to military sources.

They encountered the men inside Israeli territory near the border village of Ghajar, an army spokesman said.

The nationality of the dead men was not known, he said, adding that there were no casualties on the Israeli side.

There has been no comment so far from Lebanon. The area has seen several incidents since Israeli forces pulled out of south Lebanon in May 2000.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah group has carried out occasional attacks on Israeli army posts.

Withdrawal

Israel withdrew its forces from southern Lebanon under the pressure of Hezbollah attacks after a 22-year occupation, but its warplanes have flown regular sorties over the country since then.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hezbollah said it had fired anti-aircraft rounds at Israeli jets flying over south Lebanon.

The United Nations views both Israel's over flights and Hezbollah armed actions as a violation of the terms of Israel's pull-out.

It has repeatedly called for calm on the border, which has seen several flare-ups in recent months.