Mideast situation/Lebanon – Letter from Lebanon

Letter dated 4 August 1997 from the Chargé d'affaires a.i.

of the Permanent Mission 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 July 1997.

1 July 1997

At 1930 hours outlying areas of Aytit and Zibqin came under Israeli artillery fire.

2 July 1997

At 1310 hours outlying areas of Kafr Tibnit in Nabatiyah district came under heavy artillery fire from Israeli positions in the border strip.  Israeli helicopters also carried out overflights and strafed woodlands in outlying areas of the village.  The shelling caused damage to several houses.

At 2100 hours outlying areas of Arabsalim, Jarju`, Jba` and Ayn Bu Siwar and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills came under Israeli artillery fire.

3 July 1997

At 0045 hours outlying areas of Kafr Rumman and Nabatiyah al-Fawqa came under Israeli artillery fire and bursts of small-arms fire.  The shelling extended to outlying areas of Arabsalim, Jarju` and Ayn Bu Siwar and to the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills before stopping at 0630 hours.

At 0630 hours outlying areas of Haddatha, Haris, Tibnin, Bra`shit, Shaqra and Majdal Silm came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 0730 hours outlying areas of Zibqin and Jibal al-Butm in Tyre district came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 2015 hours an Israeli helicopter flying over the sea off Na`imah fired a rocket at the Na`imah hills, killing one man and wounding four others.

5 July 1997

At 1200 hours outlying areas of Qilya in Western Bekaa district received bursts of heavy-weapons fire from Israeli positions on the Ahmadiyah hill, and a fire broke out in a plantation.  The shooting stopped at 1230 hours.

6 July 1997

At 0845 hours Hima Arnun, outlying areas of Jarju`, Arabsalim and Ayn Bu Siwar and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills came under Israeli artillery fire.  It was extended to the villages of Ayn Bu Siwar and Jarju` themselves, and two residents were injured.

Between 1130 and 1205 hours Israeli warplanes carried out three raids on the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills.  The bombardment and the overflights stopped at 1500 hours.  One resident was wounded in the artillery bombardment.

At 1500 hours the security situation in the Jabal al-Rayhan area of Jazzin district grew tense as clashes took place between men of the Lebanese national resistance and Israeli and Lahad militia forces in which all types of weapons were used.

At 2130 hours Kafr Tibnit came under Israeli artillery fire and two residents were wounded.  The shelling also extended to outlying areas of Nabatiyah al-Fawqa, Habbush, Arabsalim, Jarju`, Ayn Bu Siwar and Jba`, to the vicinity of the abandoned Lebanese Army barracks and to the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills.

7 July 1997

At 0600 hours Kafr Tibnit came under Israeli artillery fire, and six residents were injured and a number of houses were badly damaged.

At 1200 hours outlying areas of Jba` came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 2230 hours outlying areas of Arabsalim, Jarju` and Ayn Bu Siwar and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills came under Israeli artillery fire.

8 July 1997

At 2015 hours outlying areas of Jba`, Jarju` and Ayn Bu Siwar, the Luwayzah hills and areas along the Litani River came under Israeli artillery fire.

9 July 1997

At 2330 hours outlying areas of Majdal Silm, Sawwanah, Khirbat Silm, Tulin and Qabrikha came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 2345 hours outlying areas of Jibal al-Butm and Zibqin in Tyre district came under Israeli artillery fire.

10 July 1997

At 1200 hours an artillery shell fell in the eastern part of the Kafr Falus area.

At 1245 hours outlying areas of Ayta al-Jabal, Haddatha, Haris, Tibnin, Kafra and Yatar came under Israeli artillery fire.

At around 2000 hours two artillery shells fell in outlying areas of Kafr Falus.

11 July 1997

At 0900 hours outlying areas of Kafr Falus came under Israeli artillery fire.  It stopped at 1700 hours.

At 2100 hours outlying areas of Haddatha, Tibnin, Kafra, Yatar, Shaqra, Bra`shit, Majdal Silm, Qabrikha and Tulin came under Israeli artillery fire.

12 July 1997

At 2100 hours outlying areas of Ayta al-Jabal, Haddatha, Bra`shit, Tibnin, Shaqra and Haris came under artillery fire from Israeli and Lahad militia positions.

14 July 1997

At 1740 hours outlying areas of Arabsalim, Jarju`, Ayn Bu Siwar, Ayn Qana, Humin al-Fawqa, Jba` and Kafr Fila came under Israeli artillery fire.  It stopped at 2030 hours.  Israeli warplanes also attacked outlying areas of Kafr Fila, firing air-to-surface missiles.

At 1800 hours rockets fired by Israeli forces fell in outlying areas of Kafr Hattay and Kafr Milki in Sidon district.

15 July 1997

At 0530 hours outlying areas of Zibqin, Siddiqin and Jibal al-Butm in Tyre district came under intermittent artillery fire from Israeli positions in the border strip.  The shelling stopped at 0700 hours.

At 1730 hours outlying areas of Jba`, Jarju` and Ayn Bu Siwar came under Israeli artillery fire.

17 July 1997

From 1330 hours there were clashes, in which all types of weapons were used, between Lahad elements and the national resistance at the Kafr Hunah-Marj Uyun crossing in the Jabal al-Rayhan area.  The crossing was closed as a result, and the clashes continued until 1500 hours.

21 July 1997

At 1315 hours the outskirts of Zibqin in Tyre district came under Israeli artillery fire.  The shelling stopped at 1920 hours.

At 1845 hours artillery shells fired by Israeli forces in the border strip fell in outlying areas of Jibal al-Butm in Tyre district.  The shelling stopped at 1900 hours.

22 July 1997

At 2245 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and the nearby camps.

23 July 1997

At 0730 hours outlying areas of Tibnin, Haddatha, Ayta al-Jabal and Bra`shit came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1030 hours three artillery shells fell in outlying areas of Kafr Falus in Jazzin district.

At 1400 hours Israeli helicopters overflew Kafr Tibnin, Nabatiyah al-Fawqa and the abandoned Lebanese Army barracks, using heavy machine-guns to strafe the area.

At 1945 hours artillery shells fired from Lahad militia positions fell in outlying areas of Jun in Shuf district.

At 2015 hours outlying areas of Arabsalim, Jarju`, Ayn Bu Siwar and Jba` came under Israeli artillery fire.

24 July 1997

At 0830 hours outlying areas of Jba` and Ayn Bu Siwar came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1530 hours outlying areas of Bra`shit, Shaqra, Safad al-Battikh and Majdal Silm came under Israeli artillery fire.

25 July 1997

At 1800 hours outlying areas of Jba` and Ayn Bu Siwar and the Mlita and Jabal Safi hills came under Israeli artillery fire.

26 July 1997

At 0900 hours outlying areas of Suhmur in Western Bekaa district came under Israeli artillery fire.  One woman was wounded.

At 0945 hours the vicinity of Ayn al-Tinah and Maydun, the Jabbur pool and Abu Rashid hill came under Israeli artillery fire.  It stopped at 1200 hours.

27 July 1997

At 1700 hours outlying areas of Arabsalim, Jarju`, Ayn Bu Siwar and Jba` came under Israeli artillery fire accompanied by overflights of the area by Israeli warplanes.  The shelling stopped at 1745 hours.

At 1930 hours Bra`shit and outlying areas of Tibnin, Shaqra, Ayta al-Jabal and Safad al-Battikh came under Israeli artillery fire.

28 July 1997

At 0645 hours outlying areas of Kafr Rumman and Habbush came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 0700 hours outlying areas of Arabsalim and areas along the Zahrani River came under Israeli artillery fire.

At 1400 hours outlying areas of Jarju`, Jba`, Ayn Bu Siwar, Arabsalim, Ayn Qana and Humin al-Fawqa and the Jabal Safi hills in the Iqlim al-Tuffah area came under Israeli artillery fire.  At the same time Israeli warplanes carried out overflights in the area.

At 1405 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and the nearby camps at high altitude.

At 1520 hours Israeli warplanes overflew Sidon and the nearby camps at low altitude.

At 1700 hours Kafr Milki in Sidon district came under Israeli artillery fire.  Serious damage was done to two houses, to a water cistern and to the electricity grid.

29 July 1997

At 1440 hours Israeli warplanes overflew the Nabatiyah and Iqlim al-Tuffah areas.

30 July 1997

At 0730 hours two artillery shells fired from Lahad militia positions fell in Jun in Shuf district.

31 July 1997

At 0800 hours outlying areas of Haddatha, Ayta al-Jabal, Haris, Tibnin, Shaqra and Bra`shit came under artillery fire from Israeli and Lahad militia positions in the occupied border strip.

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)  Hicham HAMDAN     

Chargé d'affaires a.i.

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