An Israel Defense force soldier was killed and another wounded early Sunday morning in a clash with Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon.
The dead soldier was identified as 1st Sgt. Eliahu Ofer, 20, of Beersheba.
Three guerrillas were killed in the skirmish, which began when an IDF patrol encountered the Hezbollah group in the western end of the Israeli-patrolled security zone and opened fire.
Intense activity by the IDF and its allied South Lebanon Army was reported north of the security zone late Saturday night. Reports from the area spoke of artillery fire and helicopter flights throughout the night.
In an unrelated development, the Beirut-controlled Lebanese regular army continued to replace contingents of the United Nations peacekeeping force that has been deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978.
A company of 150 Ghanaian soldiers attached to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon pulled out of seven villages north of the security zone and east of Tyre.
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