Daily Situation Report

Sit Higher Relief Commission Daily Situation Report

rep No: 57 Date: 25/09/2006 Lebanon under siege http://www.lebanonundersiege.gov.lb offers up-to-date information on relief efforts and diplomatic initiatives. The site lists locations of shelter and Aid distribution, along with a tally of damage, casualties and official statements. Significantly, the site is available in three languages. This site is the official Lebanese government source of information.

1-General situation.

 Prime Minister Fouad Saniora has asserted that the Hizbullah-led war with Israel resulted in 'the reoccupation' of Lebanon, insisting now that the army has moved to the south; it would not allow any armed presence along Israel's border. In an interview with Orbit satellite channel Saturday, the premier said the month-long Israeli offensive on Lebanon resulted in a re-occupation of the country and the government is attempting now to liberate what was usurped, the An Nahar daily newspaper reported Sunday. The Prime Minister said a big part of the country was destroyed and that the Israeli onslaught brought back the country, economically and socially, to where it was ten years ago. The Premier stated that the army deployment in the south will pave the way for discussing the Arab-Israeli conflict to find a solution for the conflict.

 The Lebanese army, backed by UNIFIL troops, took up positions Saturday for the first time in decades on the U.N.-drawn "Blue Line" border demarcation with Israel. An infantry unit of some 400 soldiers supported by tanks was deployed at five points on the border's western sector, including at Naqoura on the coast and Labbouneh, three kilometers inland to the east, an army spokesman said. The spokesman said soldiers were also deployed at Houla, Markaba and Mays al-Jabal, leaving the Israeli army in the western sector holding on to only a single post in Marwaheen, some 30 kilometers east of Naqoura. The commander of the U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon Maj. Gen. Alain Pellegrini said on Friday that Israeli forces withdrew from two more points on the Blue Line and should have pulled out completely by the end of this month.

Meanwhile; the beefed-up U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon has suffered its first death after a French officer was killed in a traffic accident near Beirut, the French defense ministry said. The Bodies of five children were found under the ruble of a collapsed building in Tyre on Sunday, the national news agency said. The building, which housed the Sidoon Vocational training center, stood next to Tyrer’s Jabal Amel Hospital before Israeli bombardment during the 34-day war destroyed it. While clearing the ruble, the Lebanese Army and the civil Defense members found the bodies of 5 children from Alawiah family. Total of 1996 people were killed during the war.  As the army deploys its soldiers continue to face problems with cluster bombs and Israeli land mines which are threatening the lives of both Lebanese and UNIFIL troops.

Reports that the Israelis are also planting land mines as they withdraw have not been verified yet by the UNIFIL or the Lebanese Army.

So far the Israeli Army has not handed over all the maps for its cluster-strike locations during its 34-day offensive on Lebanon; neither has the Israeli Army given detailed and clear maps to the UNIFIL about its land mines planted in the South. According to witnesses in the South, Israel also continues to steal Lebanon's water, and is altering the Blue Line and shoveling earth to transport to the Israeli side of the border.

Lebanon has filed a complaint with the UN and UNIFIL about Israeli alterations of the Blue Line in which hundreds of square meters of Lebanese territory were "added" to the Israeli side. UNIFIL "is looking into the matter," a Lebanese Army source said.

The Lebanese Army has also filed a complaint with UNIFIL about the Israeli military's extending pipelines toward the Wazzani River in South Lebanon, possibly in preparation for drawing water into northern Israeli settlements.

 Defense Minister Elias Murr said Sunday that the Lebanese Army "will deter any Israeli violation of Lebanese territory once it has been properly equipped." "The army's main role is to protect South Lebanon from any Israeli attack," Murr said after his meeting with his Belgian counterpart, Andre Flaho.

The meeting focused on Belgian aid that could be dispatched to Lebanon's army and the participation of Belgium's troops in the United Nations peacekeeping force in the South.

According to Murr, the army needs anti-aircraft missiles to protect the skies and anti- tank missiles to protect Lebanon on the ground, as well as helicopters to transport commandos.

 President George W. Bush announced Saturday that he is sending a delegation to Lebanon to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and discuss ways to help rebuild his nation left in ruins after this summer's 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Dina Habib Powell, an Egyptian-born former White House official who is now assistant secretary of state for promoting educational and cultural exchange, will lead the five-member delegation. The other four delegation members are: Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. ambassador to Lebanon; John Chambers, president and chief executive officer of Cisco Systems; Yousif Ghafari, chairman of GHAFARI Inc.; and Ray Irani, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Occidental Petroleum Corp.

In a statement, the White House also announced that Chambers, Ghafari and Irani along with Craig Barrett, chairman of Intel Corp, are launching a nationwide effort to encourage private donations for reconstruction needed as a result of the conflict. In coming days, the group will ask Americans to donate money to a fund set up to help the Lebanese people, the White House said.

 The Ministry of Environment and the Lebanese Navay has received the Spanish aid material that arrived in Lebanon on the 22nd of September. The material includes protective equipment, booms, pumps and others. This batch of equipment has been added to other in-kind donations received from the Kuwaiti, Norwegian and French Governments and will be used according to the needs of each site.

The Lebanese Navy has completed the oil extraction from Byblos Marina and Movenpick Marina. The cleanup operation is ongoing in the following sites: Byblos and its surrounding beaches, Ramlet Al Bayda and Dalieh (Fishermen’s wharf). A private company (PROMAR) has been contracted to dredge the waste/garbage mixed with oil and to skim oil out of the fisherman’s wharf. Meanwhile; Oil removal from the sea bed in Jieh is ongoing.

An Italian team of experts (from the Italian Ministry of Environment and Coastguard) is surveying/mapping the sea bed of Jieh to provide a complete picture of the situation under the water level. The work of the team will be expanded to cover the entire Lebanese coastline. The Ministry of environment spokeswoman, Ms. Ghada Metri reported.

 The distribution of relief aids to towns and villages continued by the Higher Relief Commission on Sunday, total 18,000 food baskets have been distributed yesterday in Beirut, Tripoli and Deneih. The total number of food baskets distributed by HRC since the beginning of the operation has reached 689,298 food baskets.

 Dozens of workers have started to remove fuel tanks at the Jiyyeh power plant, which was hit by Israeli strikes during the 34-day offensive on Lebanon, sources said on Sunday. "The work will probably take one month, during which we will try to remove four tanks that were damaged by the Israeli raids), workers said.

 Humanitarian aids of food and non-food items continue to arrive from the Arab World, Ten trailers from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia arrived yesterday to the border village of Aitaroun carrying pre-fabricated houses to temporally shelter families who their house were totally destroyed during the conflict. Total of 10,000 prefabricated houses will be erected in the devastated towns and villages of south Lebanon and Bekaa Valley.

The Kuwaiti Red Crescent in coordination with the Lebanese red cross have distributed 2000 food baskets and kitchen utensils in the town of Keyam.

Meanwhile, the second convoy of The Saudi Popular Campaigns has left the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia heading to Beirut, The Saudi popular Campaigns has started running a series of convoys loaded with food supplies and other aid materials to help alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese people. Total of 250,000 food baskets will be delivered by the Saudi Popular Campaign.  The Kuwaiti fund for the Arab Economic development (KFAED) is in discussions with the council for development and reconstruction (CDR) on ways to implement reconstruction projects in Lebanon efficiently and quickly. The KFAED will provide $40 million to finance the reconstruction of damaged water and electricity networks in Beirut’s southern suburbs, as well as villages in the south. The KFAED has granted 15 loans to Lebanon worth a total of $475 million since 1966.

 Turkey will provide supplemental electricity for Lebanon to make up for lost capacity due to damage to infrastructure during the 34-day war with Israel, Ankara's official Anatolia news agency reported on Saturday. Turkish energy authorities decided to supply up to 1.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to Lebanon from a system established with Damascus, with which Ankara already has an agreement, the agency said. The decision will take effect "in the next few" days, Anatolia said.

 The Lebanese Army Command issued a statement on Sunday saying the army would fire a blank artillery shell every day at dawn and at dusk during Ramadan. The army will also fire three shells - one each in Beirut, the North and the South - to announce the Fitr at the end of the month, the statement added.

2- Casualties:

The Cumulative figures of casualties are showing hereinafter. Estimated No. of Death: 1,191 Estimated No. of Injured: 4,405 3-Movement of Displaced Population:

The overall estimated figures of displaced population in Lebanon are shown here bellow. Displaced Other Information

Unallocated (Estimated) 200,000 Sheltered with host families, friend etc.

4- Food and non-food items distributed by the higher relief commission. The cumulative figures of distributed aids by the higher relief commission described herein after. Description Cumulative distributed up to date. Food 689,298 Basket/Family/week. Food Basket/children/week 27,039 Blankets 134,710 Mattresses 130,054 Hot meal/family/day 583,988

Cleaning-detergent Kit 11519 Tent 1792 Generator 410 Water tank 376 Kitchen Utensil 2242 Kitchen equipments 500 Pillow 21670 Bed sheet 9660 Mineral water (liter) 98065 Fresh Milk (carton) 17097 Powder milk (Kg) 3075 Biscuit 8953 Fresh Juice (Liter) 5386 Flour (Kg) 483539

Food basket/family/5persons/week Children basket under 2 years Rice 3kg , sugar 2kg , tea 1/2kg , cheese 2kg, Children milk 3 small cans, cerelac 2 cans, 1 tuna cans 185g, meat 500g , spaghetti 3rolls , baby milk bottle , 1 biscuit box, pampers 1 peas 2kg , ghee 1kg oil 1.5L , jam 2kg , bag ,children powder 1 can , underwear 2 sets, milk1.8kg 2 pairs of socks, children soap 2 bars.

5- In kind donations. The followings In-kind donations were received by the higher relief commission. Date Description Unit QTY Donated by. 25/09/06 NA NA NA NA 6-Destruction/damages: The cumulative figures of Israel destructions in Lebanon are shown hereinafter (Preliminary figures). Description QTY Units

3 No Airports (including Rafik Hariri international airport)

Roads (445,000 M2) 137 Roads Fuel stations 25 No Bridges and overpasses 107 No

Private houses/ Apartments. (Destroyed) 30,000 No Private houses/ Apartment (Major damage). 30,000 No Private Houses/ Apartment (Minor Damage). 70,000 No Commercial sector (factories, markets, farms and medium size 900 No enterprises etc). No Small Size enterprises 2,800 No Government institution (Buildings) 66 No Schools (Destroyed/Damaged) 350 No Hospitals (Major damage). 2 No Health care buildings (destroyed). 12 No Health care building (severely damaged) 38 No Power plant 1 No Power generation stations 14 No Transformers 150 No Main Electrical power supply network 50 No Secondary power supply network 250 No Telecommunication main net work 44 No Telecommunication Sub net work 52 No Telecommunication tower 18 No Mobile transmission station 13 No Radio transmission station 2 No Main Water distribution net work 45 No Secondary water distribution net work 285 No Water purification Units 42 No Water Pumping stations 40 No Main water storage tanks 42 No Water Chlorination Units 62 No Water dam 1 No Main Fuel storage tank 3 3 Sea port 4 No Sewage treatment plant 1 No Main Sewage Disposal system 38 No Secondary sewage disposal system 120 No Radar 4 No Army brigade 4 No

7- Constraints:  Estimated total losses had reached 10 billion USD up to date.  Targeting factories has drastically stopped all kind of local production for food and non-food items.  Unemployment rate has reached an approximate figure of 25%.  Lack of safe drinking water and sewage disposal system in the war affected areas.  Lack of electrical power supply in most of the towns and villages of south Lebanon.  Cluster bombs have contaminated 70% of land in the war affected areas.