China has condemned Israel’s attacks on the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and called for the safety of its personnel to be guaranteed.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning made the remarks at a press conference in Beijing on Friday.

Ning stressed that deliberately targeting UNIFIL forces violates humanitarian law and UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which established a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah after the 2006 war.

China expresses serious concern over the attacks by the Israeli Defence Forces on peacekeepers and strongly condemns these attacks,’ she said.

She said the attacks were ‘unacceptable’ and that those responsible should be investigated and held accountable to prevent their recurrence.