Beirut, March 2 (IANS): The UN peacekeepers were "briefly detained" two days ago by "local individuals" in Lebanon while on their way to Beirut, an official of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said.

Candice Ardell, Deputy Director of the UNIFIL Media Office, said on Friday that a peacekeeping vehicle was on a routine logistical tour when it ended up on an unplanned route, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The vehicle was stopped, and local individuals detained peacekeepers who were later released," she was quoted by the National News Agency as saying.

"We are looking into the circumstances of what happened, but peacekeepers were not harmed," Ardell said, without mentioning the number of peacekeepers involved in the incident.

"We emphasise that, in addition to freedom of movement inside UNIFIL's area of operations, peacekeepers have the freedom and authorisation from the Lebanese government to move throughout Lebanon for administrative and logistical reasons," she noted.