UN peacekeepers say they were fired at by Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has said that the Israeli military fired at its observers "from a Merkava tank from near a position Israel has established in Lebanese territory”.

In a statement, UNIFIL reported that machine gun fire “hit approximately five meters from the peacekeepers, who were on foot and had to take shelter in the terrain.”

“Peacekeepers asked for the [Israeli forces] to stop firing through UNIFIL’s liaison channels. They were able to leave safely thirty minutes later, when the Merkava tank withdrew inside the [Israeli military] position."

UNIFIL said the shooting "represents a serious violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701", which formed the basis of last November's truce between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Israeli military has yet to comment on the attack.

This is not the first time the peacekeeping force has been targeted by Israeli fire. In September, UNIFIL reported that Israeli drones dropped four grenades which landed within 20m of its personnel.