The United Nations has decided to withdraw all UN troops from their posts along the Israel-Lebanon border, according to reports from the Danish capital Copenhagen on Friday.

The UN removed its troops, including observers, from patrol bases and observation posts, and they were now being stationed temporarily at the UN headquarters in Naqoura, south Lebanon, said the reports, citing a statement released by the Danish military. In Beirut, a UN spokesman said the UN had decided to evacuate 50 unarmed observers after one of their posts was hit during an Israeli airstrike earlier this week, claiming the lives of four UN personnel.

The move was to protect the unarmed UN observers, said Milos Struger, spokesman for the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

The U.N. Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) was withdrawing its staff from the two remaining posts to UNIFIL barracks along the border with Israel, he added.

UNTSO posts have been attacked twice in the past week. On Tuesday night, one of its posts at Khiam was destroyed by Israeli bombardments, killing four UN staff. On July 23, another UNTSO post was hit by Hezbollah gunfire, leaving one observer seriously wounded.

Source: Xinhua