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Lebanon to UN: Israel breached truce deal hundreds of times
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
tags: Shaba Farms, Lebanon 

Lebanon has accused Israel of nearly 300 encroachments into Lebanese air space since the end of the Second Lebanon War, in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, Army Radio reported on Thursday.

In a letter to the United Nations, Beirut alleges that the Israel Air Force has performed 290 sorties into Lebanese air space over the course of the last four months. Lebanon also charges that Israel Defense Forces have illegally crossed the border into Lebanon on 52 occassions over the same time span.

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he letter alleges that one million cluster bombs dropped by Israel during the course of the war have yet to explode, and still pose a threat to human life in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese government is demanding that Israel provide maps in which the IDF's bombing targets are marked so as to enable the Lebanese authorities to neutralize any undetonated ordnance. In addition, Lebanon maintains that Israel has yet to withdraw its forces from the northern part of the border town of Rajar, which is divided between Israeli and Lebanese sovereignty.

Officials in Jerusalem acknowledged that there have indeed been aerial incursions over Lebanon, yet the objective is to prevent weapons smuggling from the Syrian border. "Hezbollah's weapons kill, the flights haven't killed anyone," an official said.

Meanwhile, Israel told the UN that Hezbollah has tripled its arsenal of C-802 land-to-sea missiles and has rehabilitated its military strength north of the Litani River.

The information was included in a report compiled by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which brought the Second Lebanon War to an end.

UN defines exact area covered by Shaba Farms for first time
A periodic report issued by the United Nations has, for the first time, defined the area covered by the Shaba Farms on the basis of expert cartographic work.

The report, the fifth to the Security Council on the implementation of Resolution 1701 which brought an end to the Second Lebanon War, also criticizes the continued rearmament of paramilitary groups in Lebanon, particularly Hezbollah.

Although the report issued Wednesday criticizes Israel for continued violations of Lebanon's airspace, and failure to provide all the data on the locations of cluster bomb attacks, it does not require Israel to enter separate negotiations on the fate of the Shaba Farms, or to surrender the area to the UN.

In his report to the Security Council, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon released the findings of cartographer Miklos Pinter, whose assignment had been to determine the borders of the disputed area.

"I am pleased to report that, based on the best available information, the senior cartographer has arrived at a provisional definition of the Shaba Farms area," writes the Secretary General. He also points out that "this exercise has not been aimed to delineate international boundaries as regards to the Shaba Farms, but should assist Lebanon and Syria in their efforts to agree upon their common border."

According to Pinter's findings, the territory in question includes many IDF military positions, and serves as a strategic crossroads between the borders of Lebanon, Syria and Israel.

The area forms a trapezoid (see map) beginning on the international border, close to the village of Majidiye in southern Lebanon, and moving southeast toward an area known as Ma'ar Shaba. It then runs along the Siyon stream toward the northeast, until it meets the international border again, just north of the Barhata Farms.

Pinter's findings are based on evidence he received from the government of Lebanon and on visits to the area on both sides of the border, the latest being on September 5, from the Israeli side of the border.

According to the calculations of Dr. Yigal Kipnis from Haifa University, the territory described in Pinter's findings includes large portions of Mount Dov, and covers an area of approximately 25 square kilometers.

Israel is particularly pleased that the secretary general included in the report that the issue of the Shaba Farms "cannot be separated from the principles and elements required for the permanent cease-fire and long-term solution identified in resolution 1701 (2006)."

The Shaba Farms are in an area that was part of the French Mandate over Syria and Lebanon and which is now controlled by Israel, which annexed it as part of the Golan Heights. The area was never clearly marked since the British and French Mandates in the area.

Following the IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, Lebanon has insisted that Shaba Farms constitute part of its sovereign territory. However, at the time the United Nations determined that the area was part of the Golan Heights, and that the matter would be decided in a future agreement between Israel and Syria.

Following the Second Lebanon War, the UN began marking the border area between Lebanon and Syria, and Israel has insisted that the sovereignty issue over the Shaba Farms cannot be decided conclusively until the border between its two neighbors is fixed.

Both Lebanon and Syria have asked in recent months that the Shaba Farms be transferred to UN custody, but Israel is opposed to the idea.

In his report, the secretary general was critical of Syria's failure to provide the UN with specific details pertaining to the Shaba Farms.

In addition to the Shaba Farms, which was only a portion of the report, the secretary general focused on the rearming of paramilitary groups in Lebanon, especially Hezbollah.

Ban Ki-moon quotes Israeli sources as claiming that Hezbollah tripled its arsenal of C-802 anti-ship missiles, which struck an Israeli destroyer during last year's war, killing four.

Ban writes that Israel alleges that Hezbollah has rearmed itself "at a level higher than prior to last year's conflict... that Hizbullah's long-range rocket force is stationed in areas north of the Litani River, and that most of the new rockets supplies - including hundreds of Zilzal and Fajr generation rockets - have a range of 250 Km, enabling them to reach Tel Aviv and points further south."

The UN chief wrote that "addressing [Hezbollah's] disarmament remains critical to the extension of the authority of the government of Lebanon over all its territory," and that Israel considers "the nature and number of weapons in Hizbullah's control... a strategic threat to its security and the safety of its citizens."

Related articles:
  • Israel to UN: Hezbollah has tripled its land-to-sea missile arsenal
  • Syria willing to transfer disputed Shaba Farms to UN custody
  • Israel refuses to open talks with Lebanon over Shaba Farms
  • ANALYSIS: The road to peace runs through Shaba Farms
  • Siniora: Lebanon will be last country to make peace with Israel
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      1.   Under the watchful eye of the UN 03:00  |  Avrum 01/11/07
      2.   Shebba will never be part of Zebanon 03:21  |  Tamir Palestine 01/11/07
      3.   250km rockets. 03:22  |  sandra chitayat 01/11/07
      4.   UN and hot spots around the world 04:01  |  Brod 01/11/07
      5.   RETAKE LEBANON, GET SYRIA OUT, REDEFINE BORDERS, INSTAL SECURITY 04:16  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 01/11/07
      6.   Syria will never agree to fix its border with Lebanon 04:27  |  David G 01/11/07
      7.   Not sure why Israel was pleased with this..... 06:20  |  Johnboy 01/11/07
      8.   Until we get our hostages, Zebanese can look at pictures of Shaba 06:59  |  Dan 01/11/07
      9.   Ban Ki-moon sets the stakes for Lebanese unity Gov`t 07:22  |  Pablo B 01/11/07
      10.   re: David G 08:16  |  Paulo 01/11/07
      11.   re: Brod 08:23  |  Paulo 01/11/07
      12.   Eretz Yisrael 09:52  |  joshua 01/11/07
      13.   Shaba Farms 10:22  |  Ralph 01/11/07
      14.   Ah, well.... 10:28  |  Esther 01/11/07
      15.   THE UN IS CONTROLLED BY NEO-CON JEWISH LOBBY 10:35  |  WALLY MEARSH 01/11/07
      16.   WALLY MEARSH Be sure not to interview any UN members 10:55  |  PETER S.M. 01/11/07
      17.   Haaretz: the article reads "See map" where`s the map? 10:58  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 01/11/07
      18.   JOHNBOY@7 because reality & your pro Arab spin are not the same 11:17  |  PETER S.M. 01/11/07
      19.   UN definition means nothing 11:35  |  mehmet 01/11/07
      20.   WALLY MEARSH Be sure to donate $10million to Carter for an honest 11:49  |  PETER S.M. 01/11/07
      21.   iran is the source of these wmd 11:57  |  goldman 01/11/07
      22.   DON`T BE FOOLED BY BAN KI-MOON 12:05  |  indrajaya 01/11/07
      23.   Goldman suffering wmd inflation 21 12:07  |  Michael 01/11/07
      24.   Ban those who want to Ban Ban 12:13  |  Chris Linthwaite 01/11/07
      25.   Chris that wasn`t funny the first time, the 2nd time y.a.w.n. 12:33  |  yaaaaawwwwwwwnnnnnnn 01/11/07
      26.   Blind Israel is walking into the next war 12:43  |  Tosefta 01/11/07
      27.   Why isn`t Lebanon insisting on disarming Hisbullies? 12:44  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 01/11/07
      28.   #25 Sorry 12:48  |  Chris Linthwaite 01/11/07
      29.   #2 Tamir; In a famous comedy act 2000 year man 12:58  |  Haham me Bat Yam 01/11/07
      30.   Show us the Map! 13:09  |  Friend 01/11/07
      31.   All this paves the way for a political solution to the issue 13:45  |  Outsider 01/11/07
      32.   #18 Perhaps you might actually like to read it, PETER SM 13:46  |  Johnboy 01/11/07
      33.   #1 Right on! Muslim atrocities not important to the UN 13:54  |  Petra 01/11/07
      34.   #32John-U R IDIOT.ISRAEL IS THREAT TO LEBANON BECAUSE OF HIZBALLA 13:59  |  Tom Bell 01/11/07
      35.   JOHNBOY ducking the question.YOU said Hesbala arming was LEGAL 14:00  |  PETER S.M. 01/11/07
      36.   INDRAJAYA Ban Ki Moon he no fool,he no fly Garuda 14:02  |  PETER S.M. 01/11/07
      37.   WHAT A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY!! 14:28  |  Ian 01/11/07
      38.   It is not Israel`s responsibility 14:31  |  Chris Linthwaite 01/11/07
      39.   If it waw not for the Six Day War during which Israel 14:35  |  Daniel 01/11/07
      40.   Wow, Israel really doesn`t understand what borders mean 15:02  |  Petteri 01/11/07
      41.   Why hasn`t Israel provided maps of its cluster bombs? 15:25  |  Michael 01/11/07
      42.   How many Hezbollah troops have the UN disarmed to date? 15:33  |  Gili 01/11/07
      43.   Maps? 15:46  |  Anne 01/11/07
      44.   Breaches of Resolution 1701 15:54  |  Clickfool 01/11/07
      45.   Chutzpanon, Chutzpanese & Chutzpallah. 16:05  |  Fortuna Benmayor 01/11/07
      46.   The Morally Compromised State of Israel 16:20  |  Kovacic 01/11/07
      47.   The Morally Compromised State of Israel 16:21  |  Kovacic 01/11/07
      48.   Clickfool 16:34  |  Danite 01/11/07
      49.   #40 Petteri- Wow, Lebanon doesn`t know how to 16:44  |  * BEN JABO 01/11/07
      50.   Mehmet 16:46  |  David Israel 01/11/07
      51.   The Compromised State of Mind of Kovacic 16:48  |  Tex 01/11/07
      52.   #41 Michael UK 16:50  |  * BEN JABO 01/11/07
      53.   UN soldiers disarming Hesbollah? 16:51  |  Anne 01/11/07
      54.   300 overflights only? 16:51  |  Jonathan S 01/11/07
      55.   Dan & Tamir 16:59  |  zebanese 01/11/07
      56.   sandra chitayat millions of cluster bombs.. 17:02  |  ron 01/11/07
      57.   sandra chitayat millions of cluster bombs.. 17:02  |  ron 01/11/07
      58.   Lebanon set en example 17:17  |  Lament Libnan 01/11/07
      59.   Danite re Clickfool 17:21  |  whodey 01/11/07
      60.   Ian # 37 Good Point 17:27  |  Jeff Northridge 01/11/07
      61.   tameyr #2 17:30  |  big zeb 01/11/07
      62.   For "Tex" and his compromised knowledge of history 17:31  |  Kovacic 01/11/07
      63.   Lebanon 17:36  |  BRL 01/11/07
      64.   Tamir, still impotent 17:59  |  Maral 01/11/07
      65.   BRL 18:08  |  observer! 01/11/07
      66.   Israel has a right to defend itself!! 18:09  |  Igor D. 01/11/07
      67.   Maps, Maps, Maps, everyone talking about maps. 18:17  |  Ephraim 01/11/07
      68.   Ephraim is both crazy and dangeroous 18:32  |  Scary M 01/11/07
      69.   Michael # 41 Because Such A Map Doesn`t Exist 18:34  |  Jeff Northridge 01/11/07
      70.   to Paulo 18:35  |  Ricci 01/11/07
      71.   Observer # 65 18:47  |  BRL 01/11/07
      72.   More for Paulo 18:55  |  ricci 01/11/07
      73.   Ben Jabber 52 18:57  |  Michael 01/11/07
      74.   cluster bombs, shaba farms, un infractions 18:57  |  Nick 01/11/07
      75.   BRL again 19:02  |  observer1 01/11/07
      76.   Observer again 19:14  |  BRL 01/11/07