Israel kills five Hezbollah gunmen

JERUSALEM, Aug. 4 (JTA) — Israeli soldiers have killed five Hezbollah gunmen, including two area commanders, in a clash north of the southern Lebanon security zone. No Israeli troops were hurt in the Sunday night operation, which was carried out by members of the Golani Brigade. Hezbollah confirmed that five of its fighters had been killed by roadside charges set off by Israeli troops. It also said that three Lebanese civilians and two Hezbollah members were wounded in the blast. Reports from Lebanon identified two of the dead as Sheik Taissir Badran, commander of Hezbollah forces around Nabatiya, and Hussein Kassir, who directed operations from the Lebanese village of Kfour. The commander of the Golani Brigade said the Hezbollah fighters killed in the explosions had been involved in two 1995 attacks, in which nine members of the brigade were killed.