Israel’s air force pounded targets in Lebanon as its soldiers clashed with Hezbollah militants in the southern part of the country, the military said on Sunday, with the Lebanese Health Ministry saying that at least a dozen people have been killed over the past 24 hours.

Israel battled Hezbollah in south Lebanon as the air force expanded its bombardment of the country, with the Iran-backed group reporting "point-blank" fighting and Israel announcing the capture of a

But the ISW said it was surprised by evidence from the early stages of the invasion showing an unwillingness to confront and fight Israeli troops. A report by the Washington-based think tank said: “ Hezbollah fighters do not appear to be defending against Israeli forces in these [southern] villages as the Israeli forces have consistently encountered weapons caches and infrastructure formerly used by Hezbollah fighters that left the area”.