Israel says its soldiers used UN base as cover to evacuate wounded soldiers

Israel has issued an explanation for why its soldiers stormed a Unifil base, saying that its soldiers used the UN peacekeeping base "for the sake of evacuating" wounded Israeli soldiers.

The explanation is likely to raise even more concerns about the Israeli action, as Israel often accuses Hamas and Hezbollah of using UN faciltities as shields.

The Israeli army said its forces in southern Lebanon suffered a “massive” anti-tank missile. 

“In the shooting, two soldiers were seriously injured and needed to be evacuated. For the sake of evacuating the wounded, two tanks drove backward, in a place where they could not advance otherwise in light of the threat of shooting, a few meters towards the UNIFIL position,” the army said in a statement.