UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called on both Lebanon and Israel to exercise maximum restraint in reference to the latest crossfire along the Blue Line.

In a statement released by his spokesperson, Ban expressed deep concern on the issue and called for maximum restraint, warning that such actions violate last year's Security Council resolution that ended the month of fighting in the region.

"The exchange of fire, which was initiated by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) after an IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) bulldozer crossed the technical fence in an apparent attempt to clear the area between the technical fence and the Blue Line of mines, constitutes a breach of the cessation of hostilities as laid out in Security Council resolution 1701," the UN chief said.

He also stressed that all such violations of Security Council resolution 1701 endanger the fragile calm that prevails in southern Lebanon, and called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid provocative actions and display responsibility in implementing resolution 1701.

Late on Wednesday night, Lebanese troops opened fire on an Israeli bulldozer after it crossed a southern border area and entered about 20 yards into Lebanon, Hezbollah Al Manar TV reported.

Local press also quoted Israeli army as saying that shooting erupted on the Israel-Lebanon border during an Israeli operation to search for bombs planted by Hezbollah guerrillas.

It was the first time that the exchange of fire between the two sides erupted across the border since an Aug. 14 cease-fire that ended a 34-day war between Israeli forces and Lebanon's Hezbollah militants.