¡¡¡¡DAMASCUS, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A convoy of UN observes in Syria came under fire while touring al-Qusair area near central Homs province on Sunday, local media reported.

¡¡¡¡None of the observers were hit or injured, the report said, adding that minor damages were caused to one of the convoy's vehicles.

¡¡¡¡After the shooting, the convoy returned to Homs without carrying on with its planned tour.

¡¡¡¡The latest attack is third targeting the UN observers since their arrival.

¡¡¡¡On Friday, a UN convoy was pelted with stones while heading to the suburb of Dumair, northeast to Damascus, before it reached a military checkpoint at the entrance of Dumair, witnesses said, adding that one of the UN vehicles was slightly damaged with smashed window. However, none of the observers were injured.

¡¡¡¡Last Wednesday, a roadside bomb ripped through the UN convoy while it was en route to southern Daraa province, injuring eight members of the accompanying security forces.

¡¡¡¡On Saturday, the European Union sent 25 armored vehicle to ensure the safety of the observers.

¡¡¡¡The observers' mission is meant to monitor the implementation of UN-Arab League joint special envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan that calls mainly to the halt of all violence by both sides of the conflict in order to pave the way for a political settlement to Syria's 14-month unrest.

¡¡¡¡The number of UN observers already on ground in Syria has risen to 189, most of them deployed in restive Syrian cities, in hopes that their presence would calm the simmering tension in the unrest- ridden country, sources told Xinhua Sunday.

¡¡¡¡Annan has recently said that a total of 300 observers will be on ground in Syria by the end of May.

¡¡¡¡On April 21, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to approve the deployment to Syria of up to 300 unarmed UN military observers in order to monitor a fragile ceasefire between the Syrian government forces and armed opposition fighters.

¡¡¡¡Under the resolution, the UN Supervision Mission in Syria has an initial period of 90 days to carry out its mandate.

¡¡¡¡Syria's opposition has shown thin patience and prejudged the observer mission, saying that the observers "have become perjurers."