Mideast situation/Lebanon – Letter from Lebanon

Letter dated 17 November 1986 from the Permanent Representative of Lebanon

to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

On instructions from my Government, I have the honour to inform you of the following:

On Sunday, 16 November 1966, a formation of six Israeli war-planes carried out an air raid on the eastern outskirts of the city of Sidon which caused a number of wounded and left serious material damage.

Today, Monday, 16 November 1986, at 1340 hours local time, three military helicopters carried out a second raid against the eastern outskirts of the city of Sidon, at the western approach to the Ein el-Hilweh camp to be precise, firing seven missiles which destroyed a two-storey building. One missile struck a Lebanese Army barracks and another a civilian agglomeration in the area. Material and human losses have yet to be assessed.

The Lebanese Government, in condemning these two new attacks against Lebanese territory and in condemning the violation of Lebanese airspace, affirms that Israelis persistence in its criminal attacks is a flagrant and continuing violation of the principles of international law and of the Charter of the United Nations and is aimed at inflaming the situation in southern Lebanon. Accordingly, it requests your speedy action to put a halt. thereto in order to preserve international peace and security.

The Lebanese Government, while holding Israel fully responsible for such acts of aggression, reserves its right to call for a meeting of the Security Council at whatever time it should determine.

I request you to have this letter circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under item 37, and of the Security Council.

(Signed)  Rachid FAKHOURY

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

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