Reporting period from 27 June to 5 November 2014
I. Introduction
The present report provides a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) since my last report of 26 June 2014 (S/2014/438).
In the first part of the reporting period, the prevailing stability along the Blue Line and in the area of operations of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was threatened by heightened tension in the area as a result of the outbreak of the Gaza conflict in July and August 2014. During this period, rockets were fired on nine occasions from Lebanon towards Israel, impacting in six instances across the Blue Line in Israel, with Israel responding with artillery fire on five occasions.
In addition, there were two serious incidents in the Shab
a Farms area (Sector East). On 5 October, one Lebanese Armed Forces soldier was injured by an Israel Defense Forces soldier in a shooting incident. On 7 October, also in the Shaba Farms area, an Israel Defense Forces vehicle was hit by the explosion of an improvised explosive device south of the Blue Line, which reportedly injured two Israeli soldiers.
The Israel Defense Forces retaliated with artillery fire into Lebanon in the Kafer Chouba area (Sector East).In each instance, quick intervention by UNIFIL and positive engagement by both Lebanon and Israel through UNIFIL liaison and coordination channels helped to contain the situation. In spite of these serious incidents, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006) and are working with UNIFIL to mitigate tensions and preserve the general calm along the Blue Line.
The security situation in the country was significantly challenged during the reporting period by attacks carried out by violent extremist groups, including the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Nusra Front, in areas bordering the Syrian Arab Republic. The Lebanese Armed Forces and security forces were deployed to continue the implementation of security plans in Tripoli and the Bekaa, to contain violence and meet new threats in Lebanon. In Tripoli, there were no further clashes between armed groups in Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh, but there were serious clashes in late October between the Lebanese Armed Forces and militants. Elsewhere, the security forces discovered explosive materials and detained militant cells who were planning terrorist attacks. There were further air strikes by Syrian Government aircraft, which caused fatalities and injuries, as well as continued cross-border shelling, small arms fire and rockets fired from the Syrian Arab Republic into Lebanon.
In the Bekaa valley, there were recurrent serious incidents. On 2 August, there was a large-scale attack by violent extremist groups from the Syrian Arab Republic on Lebanese Armed Forces positions in the area of Arsal. Militant groups, including elements from the Nusra Front and ISIL, entered the town, precipitating five days of deadly fighting with the Lebanese Armed Forces that ended with the withdrawal of the militants to the outskirts of Arsal together with a number of captured security personnel. The families of the hostages have demonstrated and blocked roads, demanding intensified Lebanese and regional efforts to free them. The Lebanese Armed Forces have been deployed robustly around Arsal to contain the militants in the hinterland around the town and to try to prevent a further incursion. There have since been a number of clashes between the Lebanese Armed Forces and the militants, as well as attacks by Nusra Front militants on Hizbullah positions.
On 14 August, the Government of Lebanon approved a grant of $1 billion from Saudi Arabia to support the Lebanese security forces and combat terrorism. In addition, Member States stepped up assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces following the attack on Arsal.
There are now 1.124 million registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon who have fled the war in the Syrian Arab Republic, an increase of 30,000 since my last report.
Lebanon hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees and has a higher proportion of refugees relative to its national population than any country in the world.Since the end of President Michel Sleiman’s term in office on 25 May, 14 sessions of Parliament have been scheduled to elect a new President, but each one has failed to take place owing to a lack of quorum. In the absence of a President, the Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Salam has assumed the powers of the Presidency, in accordance with the Constitution. The Parliament’s term is due to expire on 20 November and the political parties have been engaged in discussions about a further extension of the Parliament’s mandate if the parliamentary elections due to be held by 16 November do not take place.
I chaired a ministerial meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon in New York on 26 September in the margins of the General Assembly, in the presence of Prime Minister Salam. Participants underlined, on the first anniversary of the Group’s formation, their continued and united commitment to mobilize support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and State institutions and to promote efforts to help Lebanon to address the economic, social and security challenges it faces as a result of the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic. Participants were concerned that the challenges facing Lebanon have become more severe over the past year and stressed the need for concerted effort to counter their impact. They looked to Lebanon’s leaders to pave the way to the election of a President without further delay. At the invitation of the Government of Germany, the International Support Group reconvened on 28 October in Berlin in the presence of Prime Minister Salam to focus on the refugee situation in Lebanon.