Israeli, Lebanese armies face off in village after Israel advances

Israel's military moved forward on Friday in a south Lebanon village, facing off against a Lebanese army position and detonating stun grenades, Lebanon's army and an AFP photographer said.

Israel has been occupying a swathe of south Lebanon since war broke out in March against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, but the Lebanese army is supposed to gradually take control of the area under a framework agreement between the two countries.

Under the deal, Iran-backed Hezbollah is meant to disarm and Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, but progress has been slow, with Israel warning it will stay put as long as its foe remains a threat.

In the village of Deir Mimas on Friday, located on the edge of territory occupied by Israel, two Israeli tanks advanced along a road towards the settlement, the AFP photographer saw.

The tanks stopped in front of a barricade made from earth, beyond which Lebanese army vehicles were stationed.

The Lebanese army said in a statement late on Friday that Israeli forces approached an observation post, established on September 10 in coordination with the ceasefire monitors, and launched stun grenades "in its vicinity".

In response, the army "reinforced the post, and a state of heightened alert ensued between the two sides", it said.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) had earlier reported a similar version of events, saying the Israelis threw six stun grenades.

According to the AFP photographer, the Lebanese army withdrew by about 100 metres but remained in a position facing the Israeli tanks.

The army said the Israelis later left the area and army personnel returned to their "main position" in the village.

It recently established itself at the site and also has a presence at other locations in Deir Mimas on the edge of the Israeli-occupied zone, according to the photographer.

But the Lebanese army has stayed out of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

The militant group dragged Lebanon into war with Israel on March 2 in support of its Iranian patrons. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion of the south.

On Thursday, a meeting was held between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, French President Emmanuel Macron and Jordan's King Abdullah II to muster international support for Lebanon's army as it seeks to take control of south Lebanon.

Separately, the NNA reported that Israeli forces had set fire to a government hospital in the town of Mays al-Jabal, inside Israel's self-declared security zone.

Lebanon's health ministry condemned it as a "barbaric crime".