UN mission vows to continue in Lebanon

Requests to vacate rejected as violence spreads, raising urgent calls for restraint

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon insisted their operations will continue despite escalating Israeli ground attacks in the country's south, while a doctor in Gaza has defied Israeli orders to shut down his hospital.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, rejected repeated requests from Israel to vacate areas of their deployment along the border, insisting on continuing operations under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which aims to end the 2006 Lebanon war, Arab News reported.

UNIFIL reported serious concerns regarding "activities conducted by the Israeli army near the mission site 6-52, southeast of Maroun Al-Ras in the western sector within Lebanese territory". They said it is unacceptable to jeopardize the safety of peacekeeping forces while they carry out mandated tasks from the Security Council.