Israeli troops carried out an incursion into a south Lebanese town overnight, killing a municipal employee, state media report, amid an escalation of Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
The troops, accompanied by drones and light armored vehicles, entered Blida and stormed the town hall, where the employee - named as Ibrahim Salameh - was sleeping, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency.
The Israeli military said its troops were conducting an operation to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure, without providing evidence that the building was being used by the group.
Israel's operation drew a furious response in Lebanon, where a ceasefire ended a war between them last November.
Israel's military says troops encountered a suspect inside the building and opened fire when an immediate threat was identified, it added. It was not clear whether Salameh had been the target of the operation.
Israel has stepped up its attacks on people and targets it says are linked to Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim group backed by Iran.
The Lebanese President, Joseph Aoun, instructed the commander of the Lebanese army to confront any Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced the killing of Salameh and the incursion as a flagrant violation of Lebanese institutions and sovereignty. He said Lebanon would continue pressing the United Nations and ceasefire guarantors to ensure a halt to the repeated violations and the implementation of a complete Israeli withdrawal from our lands.
Protests were held on Thursday morning in Blida and nearby towns, where residents blocked roads with burning tyres to denounce what they called a blatant aggression and the state's failure to protect civilians.
Recent days have seen Israel intensifying its strikes across Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah positions, with reports of additional operations in the village of Adaisseh, where troops reportedly blew up a religious ceremonial hall.
Israeli warplanes have also been observed flying over southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, escalating tensions in the region.
Under a ceasefire agreement, Israeli troops were supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon while Hezbollah was to move its fighters north of the Litani River and dismantle its military infrastructure, a plan met with resistance by the group and its allies.
Only the Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping force, Unifil, are authorized to deploy armed personnel in the area south of the Litani, yet Israel has retained positions at strategic border sites.
