Mideast situation/Lebanon – Letter from Lebanon

GENERAL ASSEMBLY  SECURITY COUNCIL

Fiftieth session  Fifty-first year

Agenda item 44

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Letter dated 28 May 1996 from the Permanent Representative

  of Lebanon to the United Nations addressed to the

Secretary-General

On instructions from my Government and further to our earlier letters concerning repeated Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon and Israeli practices there, I have the honour to notify you of a series of Israeli attacks that took place during the first half of May 1996.

7 May 1996

The hills of Mlita and Jabal Safi and the environs of Mlikh in the Ayn al-Tuffah area came under Israeli artillery bombardment.

9 May 1996

Mlikh, Luwayzah and the Zahrani river area came under Israeli artillery bombardment, and Israeli warplanes made low-altitude overflights in the Nabatiyah area.

12 May 1996

At 0900 hours the environs of Arabsalim, Jarju', Luwayzah and Mlikh came under Israeli artillery bombardment, and Israeli warplanes made low-altitude overflights in the Nabatiyah area.

At 1110 hours Israeli warplanes carried out four successive attacks on the environs of Ayn Bu Siwar and the Mlita hills and fired a number of rockets.

At 1800 hours, the following were apprehended by elements manning an improvised checkpoint set up by the Israeli forces on the Arnun-Yuhmur road: Muhammad Khalil Fiqh from Kafr Tibnit; Husayn Kamal Hayik from Kafr Tibnit; Qasim Muhammad Nasir Aliq from Yuhmur al-Shaqif.

14 May 1996

At 0845 hours the environs of Jabba' and Ayn Bu Siwar and the hills of Mlita and Jabal Safi came under Israeli artillery bombardment.

At 1230 the environs of Arabsalim, Jarju' and Luwayzah came under Israeli artillery bombardment, and Israeli warplanes made low-altitude overflights in the Nabatiyah area.

The Lebanese Government strongly condemns these repeated Israeli attacks, which have caused enormous damage to property.  It further condemns in the strongest terms the arbitrary practices against civilians.  Like previous attacks, this new series constitutes a blatant breach of the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon and a violation of international law and fundamental human rights.

I request you to have this letter circulated as a document of the fiftieth session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 44, and of the Security Council.

                                             (Signed)  Samir MOUBARAK

                                                        Ambassador

                                             Permanent Representative  

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