Lebanon-Israel Border Clash Kills 4 Soldiers

Three Lebanese soldiers, one Israeli soldier, and a Lebanese journalist were killed as Israeli and Lebanese troops fired on each other near the border today in their most serious confrontation since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. The clash began when Israeli troops tried to remove a tree near or across the border, according to an al-Jazeera correspondent. Lebanese troops fired warning shots, and the Israelis responded by shelling a border town, a security source told Reuters. One shell hit a house in the village.

Israel says the altercation occurred during a routine patrol. "The overall picture that seems to be emerging from Israeli television reports is that the whole incident seems to have started over some misunderstanding," says an al-Jazeera correspondent in Jerusalem. UN peacekeeping troops in the area have urged both sides to exercise "maximum restraint." (More Israel stories.)