JERUSALEM, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that it had killed the head of Hezbollah's engineering unit, Abed Harb.

A statement issued by the military said Harb was killed in an airstrike carried out last week.

The military said Harb oversaw the assembly and deployment of explosive devices intended to target Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, accusing him of involvement in attacks against Israeli forces dating back to the 2006 war with Israel.

It added that the Israeli Air Force struck and destroyed a rocket launcher overnight that had been used by Hezbollah militants to fire rockets toward Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has not commented on the Israeli claims. ■