UNITED NATIONS, July 28: The UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon has withdrawn eight unarmed observers from two observations posts along the border with Israel, the United Nations said on Friday.

The move brought to four the number of unoccupied UN bases in the area, out of a total of more than 40 outposts.

UN observers had been pulled out of a base at Marun Al Ras five days earlier after an Italian peacekeeper was seriously wounded by Hezbollah small arms fire.

A second base was left unmanned after it was destroyed by an Israeli air strike on Tuesday that killed all four observers on duty there.

The four dead, from Austria, Canada, China and Finland — were part of the UN Truce Supervision Organization, a unit of about 155 observers under the command of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL.—Reuters