BEIRUT: Lebanese Shia guerrilla group Hezbollah claimed responsibility on Wednesday for an attack against a military convoy in an Israeli-occupied border area. This is the biggest attack on Israeli forces by the group since a 34-day war in 2006.

It appears to be a revenge attack for an Israeli air strike in Syria that killed senior Hezbollah members.

“At 11:25 (0925 GMT) this morning, the Quneitra martyrs of the Islamic Resistance (Hezbollah) targeted an Israeli military convoy in the Shebaa Farms composed of several vehicles which was transporting several Zionist soldiers and officers,” Hezbollah said in a statement broadcast on the group's Al-Manar television channel.

“There were several casualties in the enemy's ranks,” it said.

Al-Manar said Hezbollah targeted nine Israeli military vehicles, and that it had killed “a large number” of troops.

A spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force said a peacekeeper has been killed in the attack. Andrea Tenenti said the UN is looking into the circumstances of the incident. He did not disclose the nationality of the soldier, but local media reports said he was a Spanish national.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported that an Israeli soldier was captured in the operation.