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 17 January 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 December 1996.

2 December 1996

At 1045 hours Israeli aircraft overflew the western Bekaa area and the town of Baalbek at high altitude.

At 1325 hours three artillery shells fired from Israeli positions fell in outlying areas of Jibal al-Butm in Tyre district.

6 December 1996

At 1140 hours outlying areas of Luwayzah, Jarju`, Arabsalim, the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills and areas along the Nab` al-Tasah in the Iqlim al-Tuffah area came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1300 hours outlying areas of Haddatha, Haris, Kafra and Yatar in Bint Jubayl district came under Israeli artillery fire.

7 December 1996

At 0700 hours outlying areas of Tibnin and Ayta al-Jabal came under Israeli artillery fire while helicopters overflew the area.

At 1500 hours a number of fragmentation shells and nail shells fired from Israeli positions in the border strip fell in Kafr Tibnit and its environs.  Seven persons were injured.

Between 1600 and 1800 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Nabatiyah area at low altitude carrying out mock attacks.

8 December 1996

Between 1330 and 1615 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Nabatiyah and Iqlim al-Tuffah areas.

9 December 1996

Between 1225 and 1615 hours the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills and outlying areas of Arabsalim, Jarju`, Ayn Bu Siwar and Jba` came under Israeli artillery fire.  No casualties were reported.

At 2020 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and the nearby camps at low altitude.

At 2100 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Tyre area at medium altitude.

At 2345 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and the nearby camps at low altitude.

11 December 1996

At 0835 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and the nearby camps at high altitude.

14 December 1996

At about 1630 hours a clash took place between Israeli and Lahad forces on the one hand and men of the Lebanese National Resistance on the other.  Weapons of all types were used.  Occupation forces subsequently combed nearby areas for half an hour.

15 December 1996

At 0930 hours Israeli warplanes bombarded the Ayn al-Tinah heights and the southern outskirts of Mashgharah from low altitudes.  Overflights continued until 1100 hours.

At 1200 hours Israeli artillery bombarded outlying areas of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Zawtar al-Gharbiyah and areas along the Litani river.  Israeli warplanes also overflew the Nabatiyah area at medium altitude, while outlying areas of Jumayjimah, Majdal Silm, Sawwanah and Khirbat Silm came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 2145 hours outlying areas of Jba` in Nabatiyah district came under Israeli artillery fire.  The bombardment stopped at 2330 hours.

16 December 1996

At 0950 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and the nearby camps at high altitude.

17 December 1996

At 0900 hours the outskirts of Arabsalim, outlying areas of Jarju` and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills in the Iqlim al-Tuffah area came under Israeli artillery fire.  The bombardment ceased at 1100 hours after causing property damage.  It was accompanied by frequent overflights of the area by Israeli warplanes.

18 December 1996

At 0620 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Nabatiyah area at low altitude.  There were frequent overflights of the Iqlim al-Tuffah area.

At 0625 hours Israeli warplanes carried out five successive attacks on the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills and outlying areas of Luwayzah, firing air-to-surface missiles.

At 0915 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Tyre area at medium altitude.

At 0930 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and the nearby camps at high altitude.

At 1300 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and its environs at high altitude.

At 1730 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Iqlim al-Tuffah area and carried out a two-stage attack on the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills while Israeli helicopters overflew the area.

19 December 1996

At 0835 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Iqlim al-Tuffah area at low altitude.

At 0850 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and the nearby camps at high altitude.

Between 1030 and 1200 hours outlying areas of Haddatha, Ayta al-Jabal, Bra`shit, Shaqra, Tibnin, Haris and Safad al-Battikh came under Israeli artillery fire, and heavy damage was done.

At 1115 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the sea off Tyre at low altitude.

At 1340 hours Israeli warplanes carried out a two-stage attack on Jabal Safi, and outlying areas of Luwayzah and Jarju` and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills came under Israeli artillery bombardment.  The bombardment and the attacks continued until 1600 hours.

20 December 1996

At 1330 hours outlying areas of Jba` and Mazra`at Kafra in the Iqlim al-Tuffah area came under Israeli artillery fire.  It stopped at 1530 hours.

At 1430 hours outlying areas of Kafra Milki in the Sidon district came under Israeli artillery fire.

24 December 1996

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

25 December 1996

At 1010 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon at high altitude and also overflew Tyre at medium altitude.

26 December 1996

At 1600 hours the Abu Rashid hills and Jabbur pool in western Bekaa district came under artillery fire from Israeli positions and Lahad forces.  The bombardment continued until 1730 hours.

27 December 1996

At 1300 hours outlying areas of Yatar, Kafra, Haris, Haddatha and Ayta al-Jabal came under artillery fire from Israeli positions in the border strip.

At 1630 hours outlying areas of Ayta al-Jabal, Tibnin, Bra`shit and Shaqra received bursts of heavy-weapons fire from occupation forces in positions on the hills opposite.

31 December 1996

At 0100 hours outlying areas of Kafr Rumman, Sujud and Jabal al-Rafi`, the environs of the abandoned Lebanese Army barracks in Nabatiyah al-Fawqa and areas along the Habbush river came under Israeli artillery fire.  At the same time, Israeli warplanes overflew the Iqilm al-Tuffah and Nabatiyah areas.

At 1730 hours the occupation artillery shelled outlying areas of Jba` in Nabatiyah district from positions in the border strip.  The bombardment was accompanied by low-level overflights of the area by Israeli warplanes and helicopters.  The bombardment and the overflights continued until 1930 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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