ISRAELI FORCES FIRED on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon today, forcing them to take cover.

Heavy machine-gun rounds from a tank landed roughly five metres from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) personnel, who were on foot patrol near an Israeli position inside Lebanese territory.

The peacekeepers left the area safely about 30 minutes later after the tank withdrew.

No injuries were reported.

An Irish Defence Forces spokesperson confirmed that no Irish troops were involved in the incident.

UNIFIL said the incident represents a serious violation of the truce brokered between Israel and Hezbollah last November and reiterated its call on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “to cease any aggressive behaviour and attacks on or near peacekeepers,” who are working to support stability in the region.

The IDF said its soldiers had identified “two suspects” in the El Hamames area and fired warning shots.

They claimed that poor weather conditions reportedly led to the misidentification of the UN personnel. After a review, the Israeli military said no deliberate fire was directed at UN troops.

The incident occurred near one of the positions Israel maintains inside Lebanese territory, despite the terms of the last truce.

This is not the first time its personnel have been endangered.

Irish UNIFIL troops were recently involved in a separate near-miss when a drone strike hit a van near Bint Jbeil, just a few hundred metres from their patrol vehicles.

No Irish soldiers were injured, though at least seven civilians were reported hurt.

UNIFIL said the troops followed tactical procedures and continued monitoring the area safely.

A UNIFIL spokeswoman reiterated that attacks near peacekeepers and civilians endanger personnel and undermine the mission’s work.

With reporting from AFP