"At 2:05 pm (1105 GMT), while an Israeli Super Dvora warship was off the coast of Mansouri, south of the city of Tyre, and was aggressing our steadfast people and our civilian regions, the men of the Islamic Resistance attacked the ship with suitable weapons," a Hezbollah statement said Friday.

"They scored a direct hit, destroying it, setting it off on fire and sinking it," said the statement, read on Hezbollah's Al-Manar television.

"Other Israeli boats and zodiacs rushed to rescue its crew, made up of 12 officers and soldiers and who were killed, wounded or drowned," it said.

The Israeli military said it was not aware of any of its boats being hit.

Today's claim was Hezbollah's third since the start of Israel's massive military offensive on Lebanon which was sparked by the kidnapping of 2 Israelis soldiers in Israel.

On July 14, just two days after Israel launched its offensive, Hezbollah fired a rocket into a warship off Beirut, killing four Israeli sailors. The ship had to be towed to Haifa port.

Israel denied Hezbollah's claim on July 31 that a warship had been hit.

Israeli Super Dvora fast patrol boats have been used extensively to bombard coastal towns and villages and have caused a lot of destruction in Lebanon.

A photo taken from Lebanese Broadcast Coorporation (LBC) shows an alleged Israeli Super Dvora fast patrol boat on fire off the coast of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah said its fighters sank an Israeli Super Dvora fast patrol boat off the coast of southern Lebanon, a claim denied by Israel until now