A bomb exploded Friday near a United Nations vehicle in southern Lebanon, wounding six Italian soldiers, the head of the Italian contingent in Lebanon said, dpa reported.
Two of the injured are in a serious condition. However, contrary to initial reports from the Italian defence ministry in Rome, none of the six were killed in the attack.
The blast also wounded three Lebanese civilians, Lebanese security sources said.
"The wounded do not have life threatening wounds," confirmed Italian General Santi Bonfanti in Sidon.
The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said the bomb targeted a logistics convoy near the southern port of Sidon.
Acording to an initial investigation, the bomb weighed between 5-10 kilograms,and was planted on the side of the road and was detonated by a remote control device. The force of the explosion tore through part of a highway concrete barrier and destroyed the white UN jeep.
According to an eyewitness the driver of the vehicle received serious wounds to the face, hands and stomach.
The blast took place few kilometers away from the Palestinian refugees camp of Ain el-Hilweh, camp where Islamist militant groups loyal to al Qaeda maintain a presence.
The explosion came on the same day the UNIFIL was due to commemorate the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers to honour colleagues who lost their lives in the line of duty. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Lebanese president Michel Suleiman said "such a criminal act aims at harming stability and security in the country."
Ibrahim Musawi, a Hezbollah spokesman, condemned the blast as a "unacceptable criminal act."
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, speaking at the G8 summit in Deauville, France, said: "The United Nations will work closely together with the Lebanese authorities to have a full and swift investigation on the attack to bring the perpetrators to justice."
Italy has 2,500 troops in southern Lebanon, the largest contingent within UNIFIL. In June 2007, a car bomb killed six members of UNIFIL's Spanish battalion. The UN force began patrolling south Lebanon and Lebanese coastal waters following the July 2006 between Hezbollah and Israel.
The peacekeeping force currently 13,000 troops from 34 countries stationed in the south.
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