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 armoured 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 remains unclear 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 stated that 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 erupted on Thursday morning in Blida and nearby towns, with residents blocking roads with burning tyres to denounce what they called a blatant aggression and the state's failure to protect civilians.
Over recent days, Israel intensified its strikes across Lebanon, saying it was targeting Hezbollah positions.
Another Israeli operation was reported overnight in the nearby village of Adaisseh, where residents said troops blew up a religious ceremonial hall. Israeli warplanes were also seen flying over parts of southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
During a meeting of ceasefire monitors on Wednesday, US envoy Morgan Ortagus expressed US support for Lebanon's decision to bring all weapons under state control by the end of the year, emphasizing that the Lebanese army must now fully implement its plan.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israeli troops were to withdraw from southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah was to move its fighters north of the Litani river and dismantle its military infrastructure - a plan that the group and its allies strongly oppose.
Only the Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping force, Unifil, are authorized to deploy armed personnel in the area south of the Litani, though Israel has maintained positions at several key border sites.
