Israel Defense Forces paratroopers shot three Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon Monday evening. It was not clear as of press time whether they had been wounded or killed.

A paratroopers' force noticed a group of three armed gunmen at the village of Shama, some four kilometers north of the border. The soldiers opened fire and reported three hits.

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Since the cease-fire was declared last Monday, several such incidents have occurred. Altogether 12 Hezbollah men have been killed. Soldiers have been instructed to open fire at armed Hezbollah units moving in areas controlled by the IDF if they believe the units are endangering them.

However, in the last few days southern Lebanon has been relatively calm.

IDF sources say Hezbollah is generally keeping the cease-fire and has not been aggravating the situation, despite its losses. So far Hezbollah has not responded to the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit near Baalbek on Saturday.

Israel handed five Lebanese men to UN peacekeepers Monday. The five were captured during an August 1 commando raid on the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek, according to a peacekeeping official.

At least 16 Lebanese were killed in the commando operation against what local authorities said was an Iranian-built hospital. A Lebanese youth captured during the operation was released a few days later.

Israel said the building was a Hezbollah base and claimed it had captured five Hezbollah fighters and killed 10 guerrillas. The release of the POWs, after it became clear they were not Hezbollah men, raises questions about the special unit operations during the war. After every operation, the military and political leaders rushed to proclaim a great achievement.

The UN peacekeeping official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, said the prisoners were returned to the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, just north of the Israeli border.