Beirut—

Three U.N. observers and a translator were on foot patrol in southern Lebanon on Saturday when a shell exploded near them, injuring three people, the U.N. peacekeeping mission said, adding that the cause of the explosion was still under investigation.

A United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) and unarmed technical observers (UNTSO) are stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the demarcation line (Blue Line) between Lebanon and Israel.

The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has been fighting Israeli forces across the Blue Line since October, while the war in Gaza is also taking place.

UNIFIL said in a statement on Saturday that the attack on the peacekeepers was “unacceptable” and that the injured had been evacuated for treatment.

Two security sources earlier told Reuters the observer was wounded in an attack outside the Israeli border town of Lemesh.

The Israeli military denied involvement in the incident.

“Contrary to reports, the IDF did not attack UNIFIL vehicles in the Lemesh area this morning,” the military said in a statement.

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati spoke with UNIFIL Commander Arodo Losaro and condemned the “targeting” and harming of United Nations staff in southern Lebanon, according to a statement from Mikati’s office. Behavior.

Milad Alam, the mayor of Lemesh, told Reuters he had spoken to a Lebanese interpreter and confirmed that his condition was stable.

Milad said: “From Lemesh we heard an explosion and then saw a UNIFIL car speeding past. The foreign observers were taken by helicopter and car to hospitals in Tyre and Beirut.” But he No details about their conditions were provided.

One of the observers, a Norwegian citizen, suffered minor injuries, the Nordic country’s defense ministry told Reuters. Lebanese state news agency said the other two injured observers were Chilean and Australian.

Israeli shelling in Lebanon has killed nearly 270 Hezbollah fighters, but also killed about 50 civilians, including children, medical staff and journalists, and attacked UNIFIL and the Lebanese army.

UNIFIL said last month that Israeli forces violated international law when they opened fire on a group of clearly identified journalists, killing Reuters reporter Issam Abdullah.

The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Voneka, said in a statement that she was “saddened” by the injuries and that the incident was “another reminder of the urgent need to restore the ceasefire on both sides of the Blue Line.” ”

The United States and other countries have been seeking diplomatic solutions to the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah says it will not cease fire until Gaza implements one.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the bombing and called for the safety of peacekeepers, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

“These hostilities not only disrupt the livelihoods of thousands of people, but also pose a serious threat to the security and stability of Lebanon, Israel and the region,” Dujarric said.