A Lebanese army airman died Thursday when a military helicopter he was flying over Sojod hills in south Lebanon came under gunfire attack from unidentified gunmen. "One officer was killed and several crew members wounded," a security official told AFP.

Another security official said that the helicopter was conducting a training mission over the southern village of Sojod when it came under fire and was forced to make an emergency landing. The origin of the fire was not immediately known.

The Telal Sojod area lies some 20 kilometers north of the Israeli border.

A Lebanese army communiqué confirmed a military helicopter came under gunfire attack by armed members, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Iqlim al-Tuffah. It says 1st Lt. Samer Hanna was killed in the attack.