United Nations S/2020/968

Security Council Distr.: General 2 October 2020

Original: English

Letter dated 2 October 2020 from the Permanent Representative of to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

I write to you concerning the alarming information that was brought to light by the Prime Minister, , during his remarks at the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly, on 29 September 2020, regarding the Hezbollah terrorist organization’s arms depot in the heart of the Janah neighbourhood in Beirut, Lebanon. Not two months after the terrible explosion at the port of Beirut, which killed approximately 200 people, injured thousands and left a quarter of a million people homeless, Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy, is once again caught using civilians as human shields for its terrorist activities. Hezbollah has erected an arms depot embedded in civilian housing in the Janah neighbourhood of Beirut, purposefully putting civilians in harm’s way. As is depicted in the pictures in the annex to the present letter,* which were presented by the Prime Minister during his remarks, the depot is located right next to the international airport and metres away from a gas company and a gas station. The entrance to Hezbollah's missile factory is clearly shown in the pictures as well. Just a few days ago, a similar depot exploded at Ain Qana in southern Lebanon. If action is not taken immediately, another preventable tragedy may occur. Hezbollah’s actions and use and abuse of Lebanese civilians as human shields and of civilian homes to hide its weapons arsenal, which are well known to both the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and to the , constitute a brazen violation of Security Council resolutions 1559 (2004), 1680 (2006) and 1701 (2006) and a flagrant war crime. The Council must make it clear that Hezbollah’s complete disregard for human life is unacceptable. I call upon the Security Council to address this matter urgently, to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and to hold the Government of Lebanon accountable for allowing such activity in its sovereign territory. I would be grateful if you would have the present letter and its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Gilad Erdan Ambassador Permanent Representative

* Circulated in the language of submission only.

20-12945 (E) 081020 *2012945*

S/2020/968

Annex to the letter dated 2 October 2020 from the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

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