Worker for Israeli army contractor killed in drone attack in south Lebanon

A worker employed by a company contracted with the Israeli army was killed Tuesday in southern Lebanon in a drone attack, an army statement said on Wednesday.

As part of the activity of the army and security forces in southern Lebanon, a worker for a contracting company carrying out engineering work for the Defense Ministry was killed, the statement noted.

The army did not release further details about the worker's identity or the circumstances of his death.

Israel Army Radio said: "At around 11 a.m. (0800GMT), an explosive drone launched by (the Lebanese group) Hezbollah targeted the village of Aitaroun in the central sector of southern Lebanon."

It added that the drone directly struck an engineering excavator, which, it said, "was operating to destroy infrastructure belonging to the organization (Hezbollah) inside the village."

The report said the worker inside the excavator was employed by a contracting company hired by the Defense Ministry to carry out engineering tasks, including demolishing buildings and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

In a separate statement, the Israeli army said: "In a number of events throughout Tuesday, the Hezbollah organization launched several explosive drones that detonated near Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon, south of the Forward Defense Line."

It added: "As a result, one soldier was lightly injured and evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment. His family has been notified."

Meanwhile, the army said sirens were activated Tuesday evening in the settlements of Betzet, Hanita, Rosh Hanikra, and Metzuba near the Lebanese border.

It said a drone launched from Lebanon was intercepted before entering Israeli airspace.

Channel 12 reported that residents of Shlomi and Metzuba heard explosions.

About 30 minutes earlier, sirens sounded in Kiryat Shmona, Margaliot, and Manara after a drone was detected from Lebanon, according to the army.

The army later announced "the end of the incident" and allowed residents to leave shelters, without providing details about the drone's fate.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Hezbollah's rockets and drones pose two major threats to Israel, calling on military leaders to address them.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu said he had instructed work on a special project to eliminate the drone threat posed by Hezbollah, adding that it will take time.

A ceasefire that began on April 17 and was later extended until May 17 continues to be violated, with Israel carrying out strikes that have caused casualties and widespread destruction of homes in dozens of villages in southern Lebanon.

Before the truce, Israel launched an offensive on March 2 that has killed at least 2,534 people, injured 7,863, and displaced more than 1.6 million.