Hezbollah said Saturday its guerrillas shot down an Israeli military helicopter in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army confirmed the shootdown and said there were an unspecified number of wounded.

The aircraft was shot down in the Maryamein valley near the village of Yater, and other helicopters scrambled to the area to try to rescue the crew.

Four hours after the downing of the aircraft, Hezbollah reported a gunbattle was still raging as Israeli troops were trying to retrieve the casualties from the burning wreckage, according to a statement issued by the group.

Reports from some Arab media that several Israeli soldiers had been killed could not immediately be verified.

The Hezbollah claim, carried on Hezbollah's al-Manar TV, said the helicopter was brought down by a new missile, the "Waad" (Arabic for Promise) in the guerrilla arsenal. Israel's Channel 10 TV reported the helicopter brought down by anti-tank missile.

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