Middle East crisis: IDF troops and Hezbollah clash 'in close-range' inside Lebanon

Israel's military is engaging in "close-range encounters" with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli Defence Forces statement on Wednesday.

It said that its forces had destroyed "Hezbollah attack infrastructure", "eliminated terrorists," and "dismantled terrorist infrastructure" through precision-guided munitions and close-range engagements.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, has reportedly claimed to have killed Israeli troops in Maroun al-Ras, a Lebanese village in the south of the country.

The clashes come after Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday night, in a dramatic escalation that risks a broader war in the Middle East days after Israel killed the leader of Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Israel immediately vowed to retaliate against the strike, with Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari saying in a televised address that Israel was prepared to "defend itself" in a "timely manner," though it didn’t provide details of how or when it would respond.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran would pay for the attack, which he called a "big mistake".

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