Jerusalem: Israel today shelled a post of the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah inside Lebanon after its soldiers came under attack on the border.
The attack came hours after Israel and Gaza-based militant outfits reached an informal Egyptian mediated ceasefire.
An Israel Defence Forces (IDF) convoy came under attack and Israel retaliated soon after.
An IDF convoy moving in the area of Har Dov, on the border with Lebanon, was the target of an explosive device activated by Hezbollah tonight, Israeli army sources said.
One of the armoured vehicles was directly hit by the blast but there were no casualties.
However, three of the soldiers were taken to Ziv Medical Center in Tzfat as a precaution, sources said.
The IDF retaliated within minutes with tank and artillery fire destroying a Hezbollah post in the village of Kfar Kileh in Lebanon.
A senior military official was quoted by Ynet as saying that "Hezbollah was involved and Hezbollah will be hurt."
The official reportedly clarified that the IDF has also contacted United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL) forces in the area, who are in touch with Lebanese officials in a concerted effort to prevent an escalation of tension in the region.
The border between Israel and Lebanon saw heavy UNIFIL patrolling following the incident.
The area has seen a flare ups recently after years of quiet following the Second Lebanon War in 2006 which started after a similar attack on an Israeli patrol car in which two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped.
Israel and Hezbollah fought a 35-day war following the incident and later did a prisoner swap in which dead bodies of the two kidnapped soldiers was returned to Israel in exchange for long serving Lebanese prisoners charged with murder of Israelis.
