JERUSALEM, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Four Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Friday before dawn after an aerial object hit their tank, while Lebanon said at least 18 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
Those killed during "combat" consisted of an armored battalion commander and three soldiers, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli media reports.
Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported that the incident occurred in the Kfar Tebnit village area, adding that the IDF is investigating whether the object that hit the tank was an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah.
In another incident in southern Lebanon later on Friday, an explosive drone fired by Hezbollah seriously wounded an Israeli officer and slightly wounded four other soldiers, the IDF said in a separate statement.
Following the incidents, the IDF struck Hezbollah facilities in several areas of southern Lebanon.
At least 18 people were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes on residential areas in southern Lebanon's Nabatieh district early Friday, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry's Public Health Emergency Operations Center.
In a statement, the center said ongoing Israeli airstrikes had hampered rescue efforts and prevented the evacuation of victims in some affected areas, adding that the toll remained preliminary. ■
