UN observer seriously wounded by Hizbullah gunfire

A UN observer was seriously wounded Sunday by Hizbullah gunfire during fighting with Israeli troops in south Lebanon, a spokesman for the UN peacekeepers said. "One unarmed observer in Lebanon was seriously wounded by small arms fire in the UN position in Maroun al-Ras. He has been evacuated to the nearest hospital in Israel," UNIFIL spokesman Milos Strugar said in a statement. "According to preliminary reports, the fire came from Hizbullah during an exchange of fire with the IDF," he added. The observer is the second member of the UN monitoring team injured in 12 days of fighting. Several UN positions on the border have taken hits from Israeli shells, and Israel said earlier this week that a UN post on its side was hit by a Hizbullah missile - though the observer team said it was a stray Israeli shell.