Two Israeli soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire with Hezbollah militants on Lebanese soil, a medical source has said.
Several soldiers were wounded in the intense shoot-out, which took place north of the Israeli village of Avivim on Thursday.
Arabic television station Al-Jazeera reported four Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon on Thursday.
Israeli tanks had taken positions in the hills of the Hezbollah heartland in southern Lebanon and fired on a neighbouring Lebanese village, while Hezbollah had aimed rockets at Avivim, setting fields ablaze.
The Israeli army had earlier killed a Hezbollah fighter in an exchange of fire over the course of several hours.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in the same area on Wednesday.
The latest deaths bring to 16 the number of Israeli troops killed since two soldiers were captured in a Hezbollah cross-border raid on July 12, triggering Israel's massive assault in Lebanon.