Armed men have shot down a Lebanese army helicopter flying over the southern village of Sejoud, killing an officer, military officials say.

The sources did not give further details of the attack on Thursday.

The Lebanese army later issued a statement identifying the officer as First  Lieutenant Samer Hanna.

Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah members cordoned off the area and stopped journalists from approaching the crash scene.

The Telal Sejoud area lies in Iqlim al-Touffah district, mountainous ridge around 20km north of the Israeli border where UN peacekeepers have a mandate to operate.

Lebanese military officials say an investigation of the incident is underway.

The area was considered a Hezbollah stronghold during the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon and witnessed fierce battles before Israel's withdrawal in 2000.

As part of the ceasefire deal that ended the devastating 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, the army deployed in southern Lebanon along with a strengthened United Nations peacekeeping force.

Nine Lebanese soldiers and five civilians were killed in a bombing at a bus stop in the northern port city of Tripoli earlier this month in an attack thought to have targeted the army.

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