Israeli troops will stay in Lebanon “as long as necessary”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, vowing to make Iran-backed Hezbollah pay a “heavy price” for its attacks.

“Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah for these attacks,” Netanyahu said in a statement after the military announced the deaths of four Israeli soldiers in Lebanon. “Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary for the protection of the communities of the north.”

Defence Minister Israel Katz had also said the military would stay in Lebanon, adding it would respond “with considerable force” to any attack.