The Israeli military reported an incident in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, hours after the ceasefire with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia came into force.

In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that soldiers had identified a vehicle with several suspects in a zone prohibited for movement in Lebanese territory.

“IDF troops fired to prevent them from advancing, and the suspects left the area,” the statement added. “The IDF will operate against anyone who attempts to breach the ceasefire agreement and will continue to protect the citizens of Israel.”

Israeli broadcaster Kan reported that eight vehicles and a motorcycle with Hezbollah members had entered the area of Kafr Kila near the border with Israel.

Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that he had instructed the army to “take decisive and uncompromising action” in response to the incident.

If Israeli troops were in danger, they would have to attack, he warned.

The incident came shortly after the 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect at 4 am (0200 GMT).

Which put an end to weeks of intense fighting that forced hundreds of thousands to flee southern Lebanon and saw repeated bombings of the capital Beirut

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that during this time, Israel is to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah fighters are to return behind the Litani River under UN Resolution 1701, which marked the end of the last war in Lebanon in 2006 but was never fully implemented.

The report says that 10,000 Lebanese Army troops who are not involved in the war will be stationed in the border area.

(dpa/NAN)