Israel Thursday denied that two Indian peacekeepers in Lebanon were wounded in a strike by its military aircraft on July 29, saying they were injured when a mortar fired by the Hezbollah exploded.
A statement issued by the Israeli embassy in New Delhi said, "An enquiry conducted by the Israeli Defence Forces following the incident determined that the two Indian soldiers were injured as a result of an explosion of an 81mm mortar bomb which was fired by the Hezbollah.
"Minutes later, a rocket launched by the Hezbollah hit the surroundings of the UN post and exploded," the statement said.
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon spokesman Milos Strugar had been quoted by an international news agency as saying on July 29 that the two Indian peacekeepers were "moderately wounded" when an Israeli airstrike hit near their border post in southern Lebanon.
India currently has close to 700 troops serving with UNIFIL. Another Indian peacekeeper was injured in an Israeli strike on July 16.
