Lebanese state media has reported that an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed a man and his two children on Monday, in an incident that has drawn grief and confusion from the local community.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said the victims were killed when “an enemy drone targeted their car on the Nabatieh-Khardali road” as they travelled through the country’s south.

The victims were identified as a dentist from the border village of Qlayaa and his son and daughter.

A local priest, Father Antonios Farah, told AFP that the family had been returning home after travelling to attend university examinations earlier in the day.

“The man and his two children went to the university in the morning so they could do their examinations, and on their way back the Israeli drone hit their car,” he said.

He described the victims as civilians with no known involvement in any armed activity, adding that the incident had left the village in deep mourning.

“We don’t understand why this happened,” the priest said. “He’s a dentist and his children are university students. This is extremely sad news for the village, everyone is suffering.”

According to NNA, multiple Israeli airstrikes were recorded across dozens of locations in southern Lebanon on Monday.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health says at least 3,433 people have been killed and 10,395 injured since the latest escalation of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2.

The incident adds to rising tensions in southern Lebanon, where cross-border strikes have continued despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to contain the conflict.