Mideast situation/Lebanon – Letter from Lebanon

GENERAL ASSEMBLY SECURITY COUNCIL

Fifty-first session Fifty-first year

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Letter dated 13 February 1996 from the Permanent Representative

of Lebanon to the United Nations addressed

to the Secretary-General

On instruction from my Government and further to our earlier letters concerning repeated Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa, I have the honour to notify you of a series of such attacks that took place in the second half of January 1996.

17 January 1996

Bra'shit and Shaqra and the environs of Tibnin, Haddatha and Ayta al-Jabal came under Israeli artillery bombardment. Two Lebanese, Sulayman Muhammad Jaghbir and Ali Yasin Muhammad Shihab, were injured.

18 January 1996

For security reasons, Israeli forces and Lahad's forces prevented anyone from Dibbin, in the Marj Uyun district, from leaving the area of the border strip.

20 January 1996

The Mlita hills, Jabal Safi and the environs of Ayn Bu Siwar, Jarju' and Arabsalim came under Israeli artillery bombardment.

21 January 1996

At 0600 hours the environs of Kafr Tibnin, Nabatiyah al-Fawqa, Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Zawtar al-Gharbiyah, Arnun and Yuhmur came under Israeli artillery bombardment.

At 1139 hours the environs of Bra'shit, Shaqra, Ayta al-Jabal, Haddatha, Tibnin and Safad al-Battikh came under Israeli artillery bombardment.

23 January 1996

The environs of Shaqra came under Israeli artillery bombardment.

25 January 1996

At 0430 hours the environs of Kafra, Yatar, Haddatha and Ayta al-Jabal came under Israeli artillery bombardment.

At 0945 hours the Mlita hills, Jabal Safi and the environs of Arabsalim, Jarju' and Ayn Bu Siwar came under Israeli artillery bombardment.  There were no reports of casualties.

At 1000 hours the hills of Mashgharah and Ayn al-Tinah came under Israeli artillery bombardment.

At 1125 hours Israeli warplanes flew over Nabatiyah.

At 1230 hours the bombardment of the Mlita hills, Jabal Safi and the environs of Arabsalim and Ayn Bu Siwar was renewed, and Israeli warplanes made low-altitude overflights.

At 1530 hours the environs of Kafr Rumman, Kafr Tibnit, Nabatiyah al-Fawqa, Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Zawtar al-Gharbiyah came under Israeli artillery bombardment.

27 January 1996

Israeli warplanes carried out low-level overflights in the Iqlim al-Tuffah area.

28 January 1996

The environs of Kafr Tibnin, Kafr Rumman, Mazra'at al-Hamra' and Nabatiyah al-Fawqa and its abandoned Lebanese Army barracks came under Israeli artillery bombardment and sniper fire from the Israeli positions.  Serious damage was caused to the homes of Jamal Mustafa Ghandur, Fu'ad Mustafa Ghandur and Ali Musa Ghandur.

30 January 1996

At 0900 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Iqlim al-Tuffah area.

At 1245 hours Israeli warplanes carried out two successive attacks on the Jabal Safi and Mlita hills.

At 1400 hours Israeli warplanes attacked the Iqlim al-Tuffah heights, the Mlita hills and Jabal Safi, and Israeli forces bombarded the environs of Muhtaqarah and Jun in the Shuf district.

At 1830 hours the environs of Bra'shit, Haddatha, Ayta al-Jabal, Kafra and Yatar came under Israeli artillery bombardment.

31 January 1996

Israeli warplanes overflew villages in the Tyre area at medium altitudes.  Israeli helicopters strafed the wadis between Tibnin, Ayta al-Jabal, Haddatha and Bayt Yahun using heavy machine-guns.

The Lebanese Government strongly condemns these repeated Israeli attacks, which have caused enormous damage to property.  It further condemns in the strongest terms the arbitrary practices against civilians.  Like previous attacks, this new series constitutes blatant aggression against the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon and represents another flagrant violation of international law and basic human rights.

I should be grateful if you would have this letter circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under the item entitled "The situation in the Middle East", and the Security Council.

(Signed)  Samir MOUBARAK

Permanent Representative

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