An Israeli military aircraft was shot down near Beirut on Monday, a local television reported.

The channel showed footage of a burning object crashing into the ground near the Hezbollah stronghold of southern Beirut.

The report said that the aircraft was an F-16 fighter jet.

The Hezbollah stronghold has been under Israeli air raids over the past few days.

But Israel said that there was no such news about the downing of any Israeli aircraft.

Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which triggered the current Israeli-Lebanese conflicts by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers last Wednesday, intensified its rocket attack on Israeli cities amid Israeli air and sea assault on Lebanon.