UN peacekeepers in Lebanon on Wednesday once again claimed they came under fire from IDF troops, in what they said was a "direct and apparently deliberate" attack that damaged a watchtower.

“This morning, peacekeepers at a position near Kafer Kela observed an IDF Merkava tank firing at their watchtower. Two cameras were destroyed, and the tower was damaged,” UNIFIL said in a statement.

“Yet again we see direct and apparently deliberate fire on a UNIFIL position. We remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times,” it added.

UNIFIL has accused Israel in recent days of deliberately targeting its peacekeepers in Lebanon.

The IDF has stressed that the IDF instructed UNIFIL personnel to enter into protected spaces before the strikes and added and explained that Hezbollah deliberately operates with the intent to harm Israeli civilians from civilian areas and near UNIFIL posts.

On Sunday, the IDF revealed that over the past month, approximately 25 rockets and missiles have been launched at Israeli communities and IDF troops from Hezbollah’s terrorist compounds embedded near UNIFIL posts in southern Lebanon, exploiting their proximity to UN forces. One of the attacks resulted in the deaths of two IDF soldiers.

On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to accusations that the IDF has targeted UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon, calling these accusations "completely false."

"The charge that Israel deliberately attacked UNIFIL personnel is completely false," Netanyahu stated. "It's exactly the opposite. Israel repeatedly asks UNIFIL to get out of harm's way. It repeatedly asked them to temporarily leave the combat zone, which is right next to Israel's border with Lebanon."

Netanyahu also again urged UNIFIL to relocate its peacekeepers so they are away from IDF activity. However, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix outright rejected that request.

"The decision was made that UNIFIL would currently stay in all its positions in spite of the calls that were made by the Israel Defense Forces to vacate the positions that are in the vicinity of the Blue Line," he stated.

(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Sukkot in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)