A large explosion has reportedly targeted Israeli forces in the Shebaa Farms near the southern Lebanese borders.

According to Lebanon’s al-Manar television, a resistance group called Samir Qantar has claimed responsibility for the blast in the occupied Shebaa Farms, located at the junction of Lebanon, Syria and Israel.

The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement also announced that the group detonated an impoverished explosive device (IED) when an Israeli military patrol crossed on Zibdin-Kafra road in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms.

The explosion destroyed the military vehicle and injured all the soldiers on board, according to the report.

The Israeli army issued a statement confirming the attack, saying a roadside bomb and anti-tank missiles targeted the military patrol on the border.

It also said that two bulldozers belonging to the Israeli military were also targeted in the attack.

Later reports said Israelis launched rounds of shelling on towns and villages on the Lebanese border in response to the attack. Al-Manar said on its website that two rural towns of Abbasiyah and Majidiyah came under attack.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that the Israeli military used cluster bombs in the shelling of the two border towns.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is in charge of maintaining peace in Shebaa Farms, said it had received reports of the incident.

UNIFIL’s spokesperson Anrea Tenenti said that the body was investigating the reports independently with its forces on the ground.

By Press TV