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 7 March 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 in February 1997.

1 February 1997

At 0915 hours outlying areas of Ayta al-Jabal, Tibnin, Haddatha, Haris, Bra`shit and Shaqra came under Israeli artillery fire.

2 February 1997

At 0830 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and the nearby camps at high altitudes.

At 0845 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Iqlim al-Tuffah area at low altitudes.

4 February 1997

Qabrikha and outlying areas of Tulin, Majdal Silm and Sawwanah came under artillery fire from Israeli positions in the border strip.

At 0630 hours Kafr Rumman came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 0830 hours outlying areas of Jba`, Jarju`, Ayn Bu Siwar, Arabsalim and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills came under Israeli artillery fire.

Clashes took place in outlying areas of Anan in Jazzin district between members of the resistance and Lahad militia elements in which weapons of all types were used.

At 1245 hours outlying areas of Jba`, Jarju`, Ayn Bu Siwar, Arabsalim, Luwayzah, Ayn Qana, areas along the Nab` al-Tasah, Wadi Jba` and Kafr Fila came under artillery fire from Israeli positions in the border strip.

At 1400 hours the heights above Libbaya in Western Bekaa district came under intermittent Israeli artillery fire.

6 February 1997

At 1600 hours three artillery shells fired from Israeli positions in the border strip fell in Kafr Tibnit in Nabatiyah district.  One of them hit the town's Shiite centre, causing serious damage.

7 February 1997

At 0945 hours outlying areas of Libbaya, Zillaya and Qilya in Western Bekaa district came under artillery fire from Israeli positions and Lahad forces.

9 February 1997

At 1045 hours outlying areas of Jibal al-Butm and Zibqin in Tyre district came under heavy artillery fire from Israeli positions in the border strip.  Israeli warplanes and helicopters also overflew the area.

11 February 1997

At 1315 and again at 1535 hours Israeli warplanes attacked outlying areas of Sultan Ya`qub al-Fawqa in Western Bekaa district.

At 1315 hours Israeli warplanes attacked Tallat Nahlah in the town of Baalbek and bombed and destroyed the transmission tower of the Voice of the Oppressed radio station.  One Lebanese, Mirhaj Salih Sulh, 46, received light wounds in various parts of the body and was taken to the hospital.  Some 30 head of sheep and goats were also killed.

At 1330 and 1415 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Na`imah and Damur areas in Shuf district and two Israeli military helicopters were seen off the Sa`diyat coast.

At 1400 hours Jarju`, Arabsalim and Luwayzah came under artillery bombardment.  No casualties were reported.

At 1530 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Nabatiyah area at low altitudes.

13 February 1997

At 1055 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Mashgharah, Ayn al-Tinah, Maydun, Zillaya and Qilya in Western Bekaa district.

At 2010 hours outlying areas of Arabsalim, Jarju` and Luwayzah and areas along the Zahrani river came under Israeli artillery fire.

15 February 1997

At 0730 hours Kafr Tibnit came under bursts of fire from Israeli positions and serious damage was caused to a vehicle belonging to one Husayn Jabir Jabir.

16 February 1997

Between 1110 and 1400 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Western Bekaa area, focusing on Mashgharah, Maydun, Ayn al-Tinah, Zillaya, Qilya and Libbaya.

At 1130 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and the nearby camps at low altitudes.

At 1134 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Baalbek at medium altitudes, and at 1200 hours they overflew the Talya area.

17 February 1997

At 0900 hours outlying areas of Kafra, Yatar, Haddatha and Haris came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 0940 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon at low altitudes.

At 1830 hours outlying areas of Tulin, Qabrikha, Majdal Silm, Sawwanah and Jumayjimah came under artillery fire from Israeli positions in the border strip.

18 February 1997

At 0500 hours Qilya and the environs of Dallafah in Western Bekaa district came under Israeli artillery fire.  This caused a disruption in electricity supply.

At 0845 hours outlying areas of Nabatiyah al-Fawqa, Jba`, Arabsalim, Habbush and Jarju` came under Israeli artillery fire.  Na`imah Yusuf Hallal was killed; and Rabi`ah Muhammad Ra`d, of Habbush, and Ali Husayn Shams al-Din, of Arabsalim, were injured.  Schools in the Nabatiyah and Iqlim al-Tuffah areas were also closed because of the security situation.

19 February 1997

At 1330 hours outlying parts of Qilya and Zillaya towards the Litani river came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1830 hours the environs of Qilya and Dallafah came under Israeli bombardment.

20 February 1997

At 0700 hours the Maydun and Ayn al-Tinah hills, Jabbur pool and the Mashgharah hills came under Israeli bombardment.

At 0800 hours there were clashes in the Tumat-Niha area of Jazzin district between members of the Lebanese national resistance and Lahad militia elements.  All types of weapons were used.  No casualties were reported.

At 0830 hours Israeli shelling of the Ayn Siwar locality to the north of Mashgharah resumed and the bombardment was extended to outlying areas of Libbaya.

At 1010 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Iqlim al-Tuffah area at low altitudes carrying out mock attacks.

At 1320 hours the vicinity of Ayn al-Tinah and the Jabbur pool came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1430 hours Frun, in Bint Jubayl district, came under heavy artillery fire from Israeli positions.  Four explosive charges placed beside the Frun-Qa`qa`iyah highway by Israeli forces exploded, killing Khidr Ali Shahhadah.

25 February 1997

At 1230 hours outlying areas of Jba` and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills came under Israeli artillery fire.  It stopped at 1400 hours.

26 February 1997

At 0845 hours outlying areas of Tibnin, Bra`shit, Shaqra, Haddatha and Ayta al-Jabal in Bint Jubayl district came under Israeli artillery fire.  It stopped at 1200 hours.

At 1900 hours Bra`shit and outlying areas of Tibnin, Shaqra and Ayta al-Jabal came under Israeli artillery fire and Israeli helicopters strafed the area with machine-guns.

27 February 1997

At 1200 hours outlying areas of Haris, Haddatha, Ayta al-Jabal, Tibnin, Shaqra, Bra`shit, Kafra, Yatar, Majdal Silm, Qabrikha, Tulin and Sawwanah came under artillery fire.  It stopped at 1830 hours.

At 1920 hours the vicinity of the abandoned Lebanese Army barracks in Nabatiyah al-Fawqa and the Maslakh neighbourhood of Nabatiyah came under Israeli artillery fire.  The shelling continued all night, becoming heavier at around 0530 hours, and included parts of Nabatiyah town.  Serious damage was caused to a number of dwellings in the Maslakh neighbourhood.

At 2000 hours a number of rockets fired from Israeli positions and by Lahad forces fell in areas along the Awwali river in Shuf district.

28 February 1997

At 0745 hours outlying areas of Jarju`, Arabsalim and Luwayzah, the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills, the Habbush – Humin al-Fawqa road and areas along the Nab` al-Tasah came under Israeli bombardment.

At 1015 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Nabatiyah and Iqlim al-Tuffah areas and attacked the vicinity of Jisr al-Sitt Zubaydah.

At 1400 hours there were armed clashes in outlying areas of Saydun in Jazzin district between elements of the Lebanese national resistance and Lahad militia elements.  One of the militia elements was wounded.

Between 2000 and 2100 hours a number of shells fired from Israeli positions fell in areas along the Awwali river.

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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