Israeli military forces opened fire on United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Sunday, in an incident the UN peacekeeping mission described as a serious violation.

None of the UN forces were reported wounded.

Israeli soldiers had opened fire on two suspects in the El Hamames area near the Israeli border, only later realising that they were UN peacekeepers, the military said in a statement.

The military said it had not intended to shoot at the peacekeepers and that its forces had mistaken them for"suspects" due to "poor weather conditions" and fired warning shots.

"After a review, it was determined that the suspects were UN soldiers who were conducting a patrol in the area and were classified as suspects due to poor weather conditions," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement, adding:"No deliberate fire was directed toward UNIFIL soldiers".

The United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon said the Israeli forces had fired from a Merkava tank positioned inside Lebanese territory towards the peacekeepers, who were on foot. Heavy machine gun fire landed five metres from the peacekeepers, who were forced to seek shelter, it said.

The Israeli tank withdrew after peacekeepers contacted the Israeli military through official channels, UNIFIL said.

UNIFIL called the incident a “serious violation” of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which, among other provisions, states that no armed forces should be operating in southern Lebanon except the UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese military.

The Lebanese military said in a statement that Israeli violations of its sovereignty caused instability within the country and hindered its own forces from deploying in the south.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire last year that required the Lebanese militant group not to have any weapons in the south and for Israeli forces to fully withdraw from Lebanon.

Israel has kept its forces at five areas it deems strategic.

It has also kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, mainly saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of trying to rearm, while Lebanon’s government accuses Israel of violating the agreement by not withdrawing and continuing to carry out airstrikes.