Mideast situation/Lebanon – Letter from Lebanon

Letter dated 1 May 1987 from the Permanent Representative of Lebanon

to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

On instructions from my Government and further to my letter dated 29 April 1987 (A/42/259-S/18831), I have the honour to inform you as follows:

During the last week of April 1987, Israel continued its attacks against Lebanon and its violation of the integrity of its territory and its airspace and territorial waters.

On 1 May 1987, Israel proceeded to perpetrate a terrible massacre: at 1645 hours (local time), the Israeli Air Force carried out a savage raid, in the course of which it bombed, in three sorties lasting 15 minutes each, the eastern outskirts of the city of Sidon, the camps of Ein el-Hilweh and Mieh Mieh and the villages of Jinsnaya, Ain ed Delb and Qrayyi, using 1,500-kg bombs. The raid killed no less than 14 people, including two children under four years of age, wounded 37 people and destroyed more than 15 houses. The outskirts of Sidon were thus subjected in one week to two Israeli raids and have, since the beginning of 1987, been subjected to eight Israeli raids, while the number of Israeli raids against Lebanese villages and towns since the beginning of the year has totalled 13.

On the same day, at 1430 hours (local time), the Israeli forces, from their positions in the village of Alman, directed heavy machine-gun fire against the positions of the Finnish unit in the village of Udayyisah in the central sector of the so-called "security zone". The machine-gun fire also hit a position of the Norwegian unit in the village of Blat in the eastern sector.

The Israeli Air Force still continues its flights in the airspace over the south, Mount Lebanon and the capital, Beirut, while the Israeli Navy continues its patrols inside Lebanese territorial waters and continues to intensify its siege of the ports of Sidon and Tyre.

The Lebanese Government stresses that the Israeli military escalation in southern Lebanon is aimed at causing an explosion of the situation there and points to Israel's intention of preparing for large-scale military aggression against it. The Lebanese Government strongly condemn the Israeli attacks and warns of their consequences for the peace and security of southern Lebanon and its inhabitants and for the peace and security of the region and the world. The Lebanese Government reserves its right to call for a meeting of the Security Council at any time it deems appropriate.

I request you to have this letter circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under item 39 of the preliminary list, and of the Security Council.

(Signed)  Rachid FAKHOURY

Permanent Representative

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*A/42/50.