BEIRUT, Dec 29, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Lebanon's Hezbollah accused Israel on Thursday of hacking into CCTV cameras installed outside homes and shops in southern Lebanon and urged residents there to take the device offline.

The powerful Iran-backed armed group accused Israel of using the footage to target its fighters and urged Lebanese citizens to "disconnect the private cameras... from the Internet".

The Israel-Lebanon border has been rocked by escalating exchanges of fire, mainly between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7, raising fears of a broader conflict.

Hezbollah said Israel had hacked the camera systems to gain visibility after the group's cross-border attacks had "targeted most of the cameras" Israel had installed near the border.

"The enemy has recently hacked into civilian cameras connected to the internet and installed in front of homes, shops and institutions in frontline villages," a Hezbollah statement said.

Since the cross-border hostilities began, more than 150 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, most of them Hezbollah combatants but also more than 20 civilians including three journalists, according to an AFP tally.

On the Israeli side, at least four civilians and nine soldiers have been killed, according to figures from the military.

Exchanges of fire have been largely confined to the border area, although Israel has conducted limited strikes deeper into Lebanese territory.

Israel has warned it will step up military action unless Hezbollah militants withdraw further from the border.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 attack, which left about 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Israel's relentless aerial bombardment and ground invasion have killed at least 21,320 people, mostly women and children, according to Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry.