UN: Two peacekeepers in Lebanon injured by Israeli tank fire

An Israeli tank fired on the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, resulting in two members of the force being injured, the UN said on Thursday.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said an Israeli army tank had directly hit a UN observation post in the small city of Naqoura.

These are the first casualties among the force since Israel's ground offensive against the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon began last week.

UNIFIL said the peacekeepers were injured after an Israeli tank "directly" hit the watchtower, causing the two to fall.

"The injuries are fortunately, this time, not serious, but they remain in hospital," the statement said.

UNIFIL said its main base in Naqoura and other nearby positions have been "repeatedly hit" during the fighting. Another Israeli attack had struck the entrance to a bunker where UN soldiers had sought shelter. UN vehicles and a communication system had also been damaged.

The Israeli army did not provide any immediate comment.

The UN mission has been monitoring the border area between Lebanon and Israel for decades. More than 10,000 UN soldiers from more than 50 countries are involved. Many of the UN troops come from Indonesia, Italy and India.

Naqoura is located on the Mediterranean coast and is the first urban centre of significant size in Lebanon near the demarcation line with Israel.

Hezbollah and Israeli ground forces engage in direct clashes

The Israeli army said it had killed several Hezbollah members at close range in southern Lebanon on Thursday, as it continued a major incursion into the neighbouring country.

The army said its soldiers had also destroyed hundreds of the militia's weapons, including anti-tank missiles and missile launchers which had been used to target communities across the border in Israel.

Israel also said that attacks overnight hit Hezbollah ammunition depots in the suburbs of Beirut, and that two of the militant group's commanders were killed in southern Lebanon.

In total, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday morning that 110 Hezbollah targets had been struck over the past day.

According to security sources in Lebanon, Israeli ground troops captured a Hezbollah military post near Maroun al-Ras a few days ago. State security sources in Lebanon also said that Israeli military vehicles had been sighted near the UN soldiers that are stationed near Maroun al-Ras.

The information from the frontline of the fighting could not be verified.