An Israeli deputy commander was killed in a clash with militants who crossed from Lebanon on Monday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Alim Abdallah, the Deputy Commander of the IDF’s 300th Brigade, was killed “during a confrontation with terrorists who infiltrated from Lebanon into Israeli territory,” it said in a statement.

Abdallah, 40, was from the Druze village of Yanuh-Jat in northern Israel.

Abdallah and other troops fought several militants who crossed from Lebanon into northern Israel, killing at least two of them, according to the military. Israeli rescue services reported that at least six Israelis were wounded by shrapnel.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an Islamist Palestinian group, claimed responsibility for the infiltration.

In response, Israel Air Force helicopters launched airstrikes on Hezbollah posts in Lebanon, the Israeli military said. At least three Hezbollah fighters were killed in the strikes, according to Hezbollah.

The conflict escalated drastically Saturday after Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel in a big surprise attack, which was responded by Israel with massive airstrikes and punitive measures.

Meanwhile, Israel’s army said Tuesday that it holds about 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants found in Israel on the fourth day of unprecedented battles with Hamas.

“Approximately 1,500 bodies of Hamas (militants) were found in Israel around the Gaza Strip,” Richard Hecht, Israeli Defence Forces’s international spokesperson said in a briefing to reporters.

Hecht said security forces had “more or less restored control” over the area of the security fence around Gaza, which was breached on Saturday by Hamas militants. He added that 35 battalions were deployed in the area around the coastal Palestinian enclave.

The evacuation of residents of communities adjacent to the border had been “nearly completed,” he added.

At least 900 people have been killed in Israel, while about 130 civilians and soldiers are being held hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli state media and armed groups in the enclave.

Report by: Xinhua