Mideast situation/Lebanon – Letter from Lebanon

GENERAL ASSEMBLY SECURITY COUNCIL

Fifty-first session Fifty-second year

Agenda item 33

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Letter dated 9 June 1997 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 Israel's attacks on southern Lebanon and the Western Bekaa and the arbitrary practices against the civilian inhabitants in which it engages on a daily basis, I have the honour to notify you of the series of such incidents that took place during May 1997.

1 May 1997

At 1330 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Nabatiyah and Iqlim al-Tuffah areas at low altitude.

3 May 1997

At 1400 hours outlying areas of Arabsalim, Jarju`, Jba`, Ayn Bu Siwar, Ayn Qana, Kafr Fila and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1515 hours the Ayn al-Tinah hills in the Western Bekaa district came under artillery fire from Israeli and Lahad forces positions in the border strip.  At 1545 hours the Qilya hills came under intermittent artillery fire.  The shelling of the Qilya and Ayn al-Tinah hills ceased at 1700 hours and was renewed at 1900 hours, when it extended to the southern outskirts of Mashgharah.

5 May 1997

At 1000 hours an explosive charge was detonated on the Burj al-Muluk road in Marj Uyun district injuring four persons.

At 1135 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Tyre area at medium altitude.

At 1930 hours outlying areas of Jarju`, Arabsalim and Ayn Bu Siwar and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills came under Israeli artillery fire.

6 May 1997

At 1125 hours five explosive charges were detonated in Nabatiyah, killing Ibrahim Nasir al-Din and Majid Jabir and wounding a number of other persons.

At 1540 hours the Jabal Ayn al-Tinah heights and the southern outskirts of Mashgharah in Western Bekaa district came under intermittent Israeli artillery fire.

At 1620 hours Israeli warplanes attacked the Jabal Ayn al-Tinah heights and the southern outskirts of Mashgharah.  One woman was badly injured.

At 1930 hours outlying areas of Frun, Tulin, Ghanduriyah, Qabrikha and Majdal Silm came under Israeli artillery fire.

7 May 1997

At 1100 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Nabatiyah and Iqlim al-Tuffah areas at low altitude.

At 1400 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Iqlim al-Tuffah area at low altitude and then carried out a two-stage attack on outlying areas of Arabsalim.

At 1600 hours outlying areas of Ayn Bu Siwar, Jarju` and Arabsalim and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 2150 hours outlying areas of Kafra, Yatar, Haris, Haddatha, Ayta al-Jabal, Tibnin, Shaqra, Bra`shit and Majdal Silm came under Israeli artillery fire.

12 May 1997

At 1300 hours outlying areas of Jba`, Jarju`, Arabsalim and Ayn Bu Siwar and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1400 hours Israeli warplanes attacked outlying areas of Luwayzah in the Iqlim al-Tuffah area.

At 1925 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Nabatiyah area at low altitude, and at 1930 hours they attacked the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills.

13 May 1997

At 0730 hours outlying areas of Jarju` and Ayn Bu Siwar and areas along the Litani River in the Iqlim al-Tuffah area came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1100 hours outlying areas of Jba`, Jarju`, Ayn Bu Siwar and Arabsalim and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1630 hours Israeli shelling of outlying areas of Jba`, Ayn Bu Siwar, Jarju` and Arabsalim and of the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills was renewed.

14 May 1997

At 0200 hours outlying areas of Tibnin, Safad al-Battikh, Ayta al-Jabal and Haris came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1240 hours the vicinity of the abandoned Lebanese Army barracks in Nabatiyah al-Fawqa came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1900 hours outlying areas of Haris, Haddatha, Kafra and Yatar came under artillery fire from Israeli and Lahad militia positions in the border strip.

At 2030 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Nabatiyah area at medium altitude.

At 2300 hours outlying areas of Bra`shit, Shaqra, Ayta al-Jabal and Tibnin came under Israeli artillery fire.

15 May 1997

At 0630 hours outlying areas of Shaqra, Qabrikha and Majdal Silm came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 2200 hours outlying areas of Zillaya and Libbaya in the Jabal al-Dahr locality came under Israeli artillery fire.  It stopped at 0100 hours.

16 May 1997

At 0630 hours outlying areas of Libbaya in the Jabal al-Dahr locality and Zillaya came under intermittent Israeli artillery fire.  At the same time, Israeli warplanes made overflights of the area.

At 0750, 0800 and 0815 hours Israeli warplanes attacked outlying areas of Libbaya in the Jabal al-Dahr locality.  At 1000 hours they carried out two attacks on outlying areas of the town and made overflights of the area.

At 1045, 1100 and 1107 hours Israeli warplanes attacked outlying areas of Libbaya in the Jabal al-Dahr locality, and outlying areas of Libbaya and Zillaya came under Israeli artillery fire.  At the same time Israeli warplanes continued their overflights of the area.  A Lebanese Army personnel carrier outside Zillaya was hit in the attack.

17 May 1997

At 1615 hours outlying areas of Yuhmur, Libbaya and Zillaya in Western Bekaa district came under artillery fire from Israeli and Lahad militia positions in the border strip.

At 1830 hours Zillaya and its environs, Jabal al-Dahr and areas along the Litani River came under heavy Israeli artillery fire.

At 2030 hours Israeli warplanes launched three attacks on the Jabal al-Dahr heights while the Israeli artillery bombardment of Yuhmur, Zillaya and Qilya and of areas along the Litani River continued.  At the same time, Israeli warplanes overflew the area.

At 1930 hours members of the Israeli forces on board a naval vessel directed machine-gun fire at the shore between Ra's al-Ayn and Mansuri beach in the southern part of Tyre district.

At 2230 hours Israeli warplanes withdrew from the Western Bekaa area, while the concentrated Israeli artillery bombardment of Zillaya and Qilya and of areas along the Litani River continued.

18 May 1997

At 1600 hours Israeli warplanes attacked the Jabal al-Dahr heights, and the vicinity of Ayn al-Tinah, the Jabbur pool, Libbaya, Zillaya and Yuhmur and areas along the Litani River came under Israeli artillery fire.  The shelling stopped at 1930 hours.

At 1900 hours outlying areas of Hinniyah, Mansuri and Majdal Silm in Tyre district came under Israeli artillery fire.

19 May 1997

At 0400 hours three explosive charges about four metres apart were detonated in the Sahl al-Qalilah locality in Tyre district.

At 1000 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Na`imah hills.

At 1045 hours outlying areas of Jba`, Jarju`, Ayn Bu Siwar and Arabsalim came under Israeli artillery fire.

23 May 1997

At 0645 hours the vicinity of the abandoned Lebanese Army barracks in Nabatiyah al-Fawqa came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1000 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Nabatiyah and Iqlim al-Tuffah areas at low altitude.

24 May 1997

At 0000 hours outlying areas of Zibqin towards Jibal al-Butm in Tyre district came under heavy Israeli artillery fire in which one person was killed and several others injured.

At 1430 hours outlying areas of Zillaya and Libbaya, areas along the Litani River and Jabal al-Dahr came under Israeli artillery fire.

25 May 1997

At 1150 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and the nearby camps at medium altitude.

At 1630 hours the hills around Zillaya came under concentrated Israeli artillery fire.  It stopped at 1745 hours.

26 May 1997

At 1645 hours the southern outskirts of Mashgharah, the vicinity of the vocational school and the Ayn al-Tinah hills came under Israeli artillery fire.  At 1735 hours Israeli warplanes attacked the southern Mashgharah heights and the Ayn al-Tinah vicinity, firing air-to-surface missiles.

At 1930 hours outlying areas of Qabrikha, Majdal Silm, Sawwanah and Tulin came under Israeli artillery fire.

27 May 1997

For security reasons, Israeli forces prevented the inhabitants of Kafr Killa in Marj Uyun district from leaving the border strip area.

At 1945 hours outlying areas of Majdal Silm, Jumayjimah, Khirbat Silm and Sawwanah came under Israeli artillery fire.

29 May 1997

At 1830 hours outlying areas of Majdal Silm, Qabrikha and Tulin came under Israeli bombardment.

At 2045 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Nabatiyah and Iqlim al-Tuffah areas at low altitude.

30 May 1997

At 0920 hours outlying areas of Majdal Silm, Tulin, Qabrikha and Shaqra came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1230 hours Israeli naval forces off the Kharayib locality in Tyre district detained two fishermen.  They released them at 1630 hours.

The Lebanese Government strongly condemns the continued Israeli occupation and these fresh attacks and arbitrary practices inflicted on the Lebanese population, which have left a number of casualties and have caused further serious damage to property.

Like previous attacks, this new series is in flagrant violation of the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon and constitutes a breach of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, of international law and of basic human rights.

I should be grateful if you would have this letter circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 33, and of the Security Council.

(Signed)  Samir MOUBARAK     

Ambassador       

Permanent Representative

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