One of the four dead was a Chinese soldier, and the Beijing government has already demanded an apology from Israel and called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.

The Chinese mission at the UN distributed a proposed draft of a UN Security Council presidential statement which strongly condemns the attack, the source said.

The Security Council was to discuss the Israeli attack on the UN post at Khiam. Peacekeepers from Canada, Austria and Finland were also killed.

But it was not immediately clear whether the statement would be voted on.

"The Security Council is deeply shocked and distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting" by Israel on Wednesday, said the draft statement given to AFP by the diplomatic source.

"The Security Council condemns this coordinated artillery and aerial attack on a long-established and clearly marked UN post," it added, "despite the assurance given by the Israeli leadership that UN positions would be spared by the Israeli fire."

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has expressed outrage over the attack, which has also been widely condemned by the international community.

The attack was to be discussed in consultations after a meeting on Ivory Coast on Wednesday morning, diplomats said. A UN peacekeeping official may be called to brief UN ambassadors.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed "deep regrets" earlier Wednesday over the deaths in a phone call with Annan, his office said.

Dan Gillerman, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, said that an investigation was underway into the attack, which Annan has said was "apparently deliberate".

Gillerman told CNN television that it was a "bitter, difficult and cruel war" in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have been attacking Hezbollah militia targets since July 12.

"We are very, very sorry, and we regret this tragic incident and extend condolences to the families of the Chinese, Finnish, Canadian and Austrian families," Gillerman said.

"I seriously do not believe that Kofi Annan believes this was a deliberate target. I think and I hope that his statement was made in haste. I believe it is premature, irresponsible and regrettable. I don't think anybody in his right mind thinks that Israel is targeting UN personnel," the Israeli envoy added.

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