Russia lodged a formal protest to Israel following an alleged attack on a Russian diplomatic vehicle near the West Bank illegal outpost of Givat Assaf outside Jerusalem, according to a statement issued by the Russian foreign ministry.

“On July 30, a vehicle of the Russian Federation’s mission to the Palestinian National Authority, bearing diplomatic license plates and carrying personnel of the Russian diplomatic mission accredited by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, was attacked near the illegal Israeli settlement of Givat Assaf, near Jerusalem, by a group of settlers,” Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement Tuesday.

The incident occurred “with the acquiescence of Israeli military personnel, who were present at the scene and did not attempt to stop the attackers’ aggressive actions,” she added.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the Russian foreign ministry’s report.

Zakharova said the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv had submitted an official demarche to Israeli authorities.

There was no immediate comment from the Foreign Ministry.

The report did not give further details of the alleged incident. However, on July 30, a Border Police officer shot a masked Israeli teenager who was among others throwing stones at cars on a road in the area of Givat Assaf.

The reservist policeman had spotted a group of masked suspects hurling rocks at cars that were stuck in a jam on Route 60, close to the settlement of Beit El and the illegal outpost of Oz Zion. In response, the officer fired warning shots into the air. Moments later, the masked suspects began throwing stones at the police officer. He fired, hitting one of the suspects, the official said.

Medics reported that the suspect, 17, was in light-to-moderate condition after being shot.

Recent months have seen a significant rise in attacks by settler extremists against Palestinians in the West Bank, with troops often reluctant to intervene.

The violence has also drawn the ire of US authorities. Two US citizens were killed in West Bank settler violence in July, with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee demanding Israel investigate the killing of 20-year-old Saif Musallet, who was beaten to death while visiting family in the town of Sinjil. Another US citizen, Khamis Ayyad, 41, died from smoke inhalation due to the fires from cars that were set alight by settlers in the village of Silwad in the central West Bank, the Palestinian Authority health ministry said at the time.

Violence in the West Bank has spiked since the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza.

Settler attacks on Palestinians throughout the West Bank have been taking place on a near-daily basis, largely with impunity, sparking mounting sanctions from Western governments.