UN Security Council voices 'strong concern' for UN peacekeepers after Israeli attacks

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. Security Council expressed "strong concern" as Israel has fired on and wounded U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon during intensified fighting, reiterating its support for their role in supporting security in the region. The statement Monday is the first by the U.N.'s most powerful body since Israel began firing on the positions of the peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL. The U.N. peacekeeping chief told reporters that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confirmed Monday that peacekeepers will remain in all their positions even as Israel has urged the peacekeepers to move north. Israel has been escalating its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon across a U.N.-drawn boundary between the two countries.