Israel’s military has opened fired on Hezbollah militants who were trying to “infiltrate our territory”, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said up to 4 militants crossed the border in the Mount Dov area, part of the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights. A Hezbollah statement said it had not engaged in any clashes, instead blaming a “nervous” enemy.

The area has been tense for days after the death of a Hezbollah fighter. He was killed in an alleged Israeli air strike in Syria. Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied it carried out the strike in the early hours of last Monday, had warned Hezbollah not to retaliate.

The IDF said “the terrorists fled back to Lebanon” after being shot at on Monday.

Netanyahu, in a televised address, said he took a “grave view of this attempt to infiltrate our territory”: “Hezbollah and Lebanon bear full responsibility for this incident and any attack from Lebanese territory against Israel. Hezbollah should know that it is playing with fire”.