Hezbollah members beat observers, U.N. says

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Three unarmed U.N. military observers in southern Lebanon were dragged from a vehicle by Hezbollah members and beaten with rifle butts Wednesday, a U.N. spokesman said.

The three observers -- from France, Ireland and Norway -- were evacuated to a northern Israeli hospital, where they were in stable condition, the official said.

Through the spokesman, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned the attack.

"The secretary-general reminds all the parties of their responsibility for the security and the freedom of movements of U.N. peacekeepers, and he reiterates that any escalation of the tensions along the blue line could have serious consequences for peace and security in the region," the Annan representative said, referring to the area on Israel's northern border.

On the U.S. list of terrorist organizations, Hezbollah is a militant group that battled the Israelis during their occupation of southern Lebanon.

The patrol was driving in a clearly marked U.N. vehicle near Shebaa Farms when the attack occurred, the spokesman said.

An armed four-man patrol made up of members of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) saw the incident as they were driving by and attempted to help the observers, the spokesman said.

The U.N. force was created to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and help the Lebanese government restore its authority in the area.

A scuffle broke out and the Hezbollah, who outnumbered the peacekeepers, seized their weapons, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, one of the U.N. officers radioed headquarters, who called Lebanese authorities and, within a few minutes, Hezbollah departed, the spokesman said.

At a news conference in southern Lebanon, the force commander of the U.N. mission called for an investigation of the incident "at the highest level," the spokesman said.

"The United Nations has since received the profound apology from Hezbollah along with assurances that this will never happen again," he added. "The Lebanese government also expressed its full support for the work of the U.N. peacekeepers."

The area has been the site of clashes in recent days.

Hezbollah guerrillas fought Wednesday with Israeli troops for the second consecutive day along the Lebanon-Israel border near the disputed Golan Heights.

Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967, but Syria believes it has leverage to one day recover most of the land. Lebanon and Syria insist the disputed Shabaa Farms area belongs to Lebanon.

Israel withdrew its troops from southern Lebanon almost two years ago, and tension along the border has ebbed and flowed since then.

Israel's self-described war on terrorism in Palestinian territories, however, has raised fears that warfare could break out between Hezbollah and Israel.