Israel claims helicopter malfunctioned in southern Lebanon, denies Hezbollah attack

The Israeli army said Monday that one of its helicopters suffered a “technical error” while trying to evacuate wounded soldiers in southern Lebanon, denying the chopper came under fire.

A military statement said the helicopter landed in an extraction area “with no ability to take off due to a technical error” during a mission to evacuate injured soldiers in southern Lebanon.

The army said another helicopter was sent to evacuate the wounded, while technical teams repaired the malfunction and the chopper later departed.

The military denied that the helicopter came under attack, claiming that it “was not damaged by Hezbollah’s fire.”

It was not possible to independently verify what happened to the helicopter, as the Israeli army imposes tight restrictions on information about the results of Hezbollah attacks.

Earlier Monday, the Israeli army said three soldiers were wounded by an explosive-laden drone launched by Hezbollah.

The development came as the Israeli army continued daily strikes in Lebanon and fire exchanges with Hezbollah despite a ceasefire that was announced on April 17 and extended until May 17.

Lebanese media said at least four people were killed and eight others injured in Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon on Monday.

Since March 2, Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed 2,846 people, injured 8,693 and displaced more than 1.6 million, about one-fifth of the population, according to the latest official figures.