Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- Sniper fire hit a vehicle used by a U.N. chemical weapons investigation team in Syria multiple times Monday, according to the United Nations.
The team "returned safely back to the government checkpoint," a U.N. statement said. The team is replacing the vehicle and will return to the area, it said.
The U.N. team was on its way to inspect the scene of an alleged chemical weapons attack in a Damascus suburb, after the Syrian government on Sunday agreed to grant the inspectors full access.
It said its army would cease all hostilities as long as the U.N. inspectors are on the ground.
An umbrella group for the Syrian opposition, the Syrian National Coalition, also said last week that the opposition would ensure the safety of any U.N. personnel in the area.
The Syrian government accused "terrorists" of firing on the inspectors, Syrian state TV reported.
The United Nations has not said who may have been behind the shooting, which came after an explosion near the site the team plans to visit. Some witnesses said it was caused by incoming ordnance, perhaps a mortar shell.
The vehicle was "deliberately shot at multiple times by unidentified snipers in the buffer zone area," the U.N. statement said. "It has to be stressed again that all sides need to extend their cooperation so that the Team can safely carry out their important work."
