UN peacekeepers to stay in positions in Lebanon: peacekeeping chief

UNITED NATIONS - UN peacekeepers will stay in all their positions in Lebanon in spite of the calls made by Israeli authorities to vacate the positions that are in the vicinity of the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, the UN peacekeeping chief said on Monday.

"The decision was made that UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) would currently stay in all its positions in spite of the calls that were made by the Israel Defense Forces to vacate the positions that are in the vicinity of the Blue Line," said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, after briefing the Security Council on the situation in Lebanon.

"I want to emphasize that this decision still remains," he said, adding that the decision was confirmed earlier Monday by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and was carefully considered based on "a number of elements and criteria".

"Of course the safety and security of the peacekeepers is a paramount priority," said Lacroix.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council on Monday expressed its strong concern over the ongoing hostilities across the Blue Line.

"Against the backdrop of the ongoing hostilities along the Blue Line, the members of the Security Council expressed their strong concern after several UNIFIL positions under fire in the past days," said Pascale Baeriswyl, president of the Security Council for October and permanent representative of Switzerland to the United Nations.

"Several peacekeepers have been wounded," she said in a statement after closed-door Security Council consultations.

The members of the Security Council urged all parties to respect the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and UN premises, reiterating their support to the mission, and underscoring its role in supporting for regional stability, she said.

Baeriswyl noted that the council members expressed their deepest concern over civilian casualties and sufferings, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the rising number of internally displaced people.

They called on all parties to abide by international humanitarian law, called for the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, and emphasized the need for "diplomatic endeavors that would bring a durable end" to the conflict and allow civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to return safely to their homes, she added.