JERUSALEM, Jan 28, 2015 (AFP) - An anti-tank missile hit an Israeli army vehicle on Wednesday in an occupied area on the border with Lebanon, the military said.
"Initial reports indicate a military vehicle was hit, apparently by an anti-tank missile in the area of Har Dov," the army said on its official Twitter feed, using Israel's term for the Shebaa Farms which is also close to the ceasefire line with Syria.
An Israeli security source said a number of people were wounded in the incident after their vehicle came under "very heavy fire at close range," saying the incident was still ongoing.
He said it was not clear whether the vehicle had been hit by an anti-tank missile, a rocket or a mortar, but said Israeli forces had returned fire, hitting targets across the border.
Images broadcast from the scene showed large plumes of white smoke billowing across the area and police sealed off several roads close to the border in northern Israel.
The Shebaa Farms area is a mountainous, narrow sliver of land rich in water resources measuring 25 square kilometres (10 square miles). It has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war.
Since Israeli troops withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000, the area has become an area of friction between Israel and Hezbollah.
Before it was seized by Israel, Syria and Lebanon both claimed ownership of the land.