Mideast situation/Lebanon – Letter from Lebanon

Letter dated 10 August 1988 from the Permanent Representative of

Lebanon to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

On instructions from my Government, and further to the complaints I have submitted in previous letters, I have the honour to inform you of the following:

The Israeli air force is unfortunately continuing to violate Lebanese airspace, conducting reconnaissance operations or simulated raids, breaking the sound barrier over towns, including Beirut, the capital, and bombing some village centres and the outskirts of towns, particularly in the southern, west Bekaa and Mount Lebanon regions.

Since the beginning of 1988, the Israeli air force has made 12 strikes, the most recent of them aimed at the eastern outskirts of Sidon, or more specifically the environs of Mieh Mieh camp. On Tuesday, 9 August 1988, between 9.55 a.m. and 11.55 a.m. local time, six combat aircraft made 12 strikes during which they fired 30 missiles and high-explosive rockets. In the course of this criminal attack, two persons were killed outright, seven others were wounded and buildings were completely destroyed.

This act of aggression is all the more serious in that Israel has openly claimed responsibility for it, thus confirming that Israel is persisting in its policy of violence and of further aggravating the situation in the south, in disregard of all principles, rules of law, customs and international conventions, as well as of all the resolutions of the United Nations and its various organs, particularly the Security Council.

The Lebanese Government strongly condemns this new act of savage aggression against its territory, for which Israel bears full responsibility, and once again urges you and the Security Council to bring about an end to these acts of aggression against Lebanese territory and to prevail upon Israel to respect the United Nations Charter and the rules of international law, as well as the Security Council resolutions calling on it to refrain from committing any act of aggression against Lebanon, and to proceed with the full and unconditional withdrawal of its troops from the Lebanese territory which it has been occupying by force since 1978. Only the implementation of these resolutions will enable the Lebanese Government to establish peace and security in the southern region.

I should be grateful if you would have the text of this letter circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under item 40 of the provisional agenda, and of the Security Council.

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  *  A/43/150.

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