The German government has denied reports that German soldiers participating in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are cooperating with Israel.

"Media outlets close to Hezbollah in Lebanon are spreading a narrative that Germany and the German-led UN naval task force have intervened in the fighting in Lebanon on behalf of Israel. The German government categorically denies these accusations," the German Defense Ministry said in a statement seen by the German Press Agency.

Germany currently has about 100 troops in the UNIFIL force, about 40 of them at the peacekeeping mission’s headquarters in Naqoura, in the middle of the fighting. About 60 German soldiers are on board the German warship Ludwigshafen am Rhein, which also commands the naval component of the UN force.

The ship's crew repelled an explosives-laden drone last October, declaring self-defense. The drone exploded upon hitting the water.

In early November, Israeli special forces reportedly using speedboats arrested a man in the Lebanese coastal town of Batroun.

UNIFIL later said it was not involved in any kidnapping or “other violations of Lebanese sovereignty,” describing “misleading information and false rumors in this context as irresponsible and endangering peacekeeping forces.”

The German mission has since become the focus of media outlets close to Hezbollah. Media reports have accused Germany and its naval task force ships of monitoring and tolerating the Israelis, according to the German Press Agency.

"The Lebanese Coastal Radar Authority, funded by Germany, is run by Lebanese soldiers. The Lebanese army determines and controls what happens to the information obtained from the radar stations and who receives it. The naval task force has no direct contact with the Israeli army. No information about the situation is passed on," the German Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry noted that the principle of neutrality applies to parties to conflict in UN missions, adding: "We adhere to this strictly. The mission of the Maritime Task Force is defined by the UN mandate. This constitutes the binding framework for our participation," stressing that the work of the force "is transparent at all times, as well as towards other countries contributing to UNIFIL forces."