The Israel Defense Forces said Hezbollah targeted its troops in southern Lebanon, seeing in this a breaching of the fragile ceasefire ahead of a further round of US-mediated talks between the Israeli and Lebanese governments.

However, Hezbollah's stated stance is that it has the "right to resist" Israeli forces operating inside southern Lebanon, given they are occupying forces.

Starting last Thursday, a 10-day ceasefire brokered by Washington took effect, even as Israeli forces remain deployed in a strip of Lebanese territory several miles deep along the border.

Israel calls it a 'buffer zone' - but Lebanese sees it as a land grab. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally and leader of the Amal Movement - which is the other big Shia organization in Lebanon - has newly stated that if Israel "maintains its occupation, whether of areas, positions, or by drawing yellow lines, it will smell the scent of resistance every day."

He added: "If they insist on remaining, they will face resistance, and our history bears witness to that."

Lebanese officials have also charged Israel with trying to erase the Lebanese presence in southern Lebanon in a genocidal act, or 'cultural genocide'.

This after Israeli forces have carried out demolitions in southern villages, targeting what they describe as Hezbollah infrastructure embedded in civilian areas.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported new detonations in at least eight villages on Tuesday, as well as shelling in some of these locations.

Israeli officials previously referred to their deployment boundary as the "Yellow Line" - which it should be noted is a designation also used in Gaza, where entire local neighborhoods have long ago been permanently wiped out.