Israel-Gaza-Lebanon updates: Netanyahu calls UN troops Hezbollah 'human shields'

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin "emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety" of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon during a call with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, the Pentagon said Friday.

He also "urged coordinating efforts to pivot from military operations to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible" during the call Thursday on Israel's operations in Lebanon, according to a Pentagon readout.

The French Foreign Ministry and Italy's defense minister on Thursday also expressed concern for the safety of UNIFIL troops after two peacekeepers were injured by Israeli fire on Thursday. Two more were wounded on Friday in explosions that occurred near its headquarters in Naqoura in southern Lebanon, according to UNIFIL.

The Israel Defense Forces said it is reviewing the incidents and "takes every precaution to minimize harm to civilians and peacekeepers alike."

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry condemned the "systematic and deliberate targeting of UNIFIL forces by the Israeli army," in a statement on Friday.

"These attacks cannot be separated from the repeated and ongoing Israeli attempts to undermine the mission of UNIFIL," the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said.

The Israel Defense Forces said two U.N. peacekeepers were "inadvertently hurt" during IDF combat with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Friday.

"The IDF expresses deep concern over incidents of this kind and is currently conducting a thorough review at the highest levels of command to determine the details," IDF international spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said in a statement.

-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz and Clark Bentson

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said two peacekeepers were injured in two explosions that occurred near its headquarters in southern Lebanon Friday morning local time.

This marked the second time its headquarters were affected by explosions in the last 48 hours, UNIFIL said.

UNIFIL also said an Israeli military bulldozer knocked over several protective walls at one of the U.N. posts along the southern Lebanese border on Friday.

"These incidents put again UN peacekeepers, who are serving in south Lebanon at the request of the Security Council under resolution 1701 (2006), at very serious risks," UNIFIL said in a statement. "This is a serious development, and UNFIL reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times."

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that soldiers were responding to an "immediate threat" near the UNIFIL post and it is "continuing to examine the circumstances of the incident." It said Hezbollah "deliberately operates with the intent to harm Israeli civilians from civilian areas and near UNIFIL posts, thereby endangering UNIFIL personnel."

Israel on Thursday recommended that UNIFIL relocate farther north to avoid danger as fighting intensifies, after the mission said two troops were injured by Israeli fire.

Israel recommended that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon relocate farther north, after the mission said two troops were injured in the south of the country by Israeli fire.

"Our dialogue and coordination with UNIFIL will continue in southern Lebanon," Israel's ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, said in a statement Thursday. "Our recommendation is that UNIFIL relocate five kilometers north to avoid danger as fighting intensifies and while the situation along the Blue Line remains volatile as a result of Hezbollah's aggression.

The Israel Defense Forces said earlier Thursday that Hezbollah operates near UNIFIL posts, and that they told U.N. forces in the area "to remain in protected spaces." The IDF did not comment on the two UNIFIL peacekeepers being wounded.