CONTENTS

1.    SECURITY

2.    AIR OPERATIONS

3.    BORDER CROSSING AND CUSTOMS

4.    INFRASTRUCTURE

5.    TRANSPORT SECTOR

6.    LOGISTICS (STOCKS)

7.    CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION

8.    FUEL

9.    MAPPING

10.    OTHER

1.    SECURITY

LEBANON

The ceasefire is holding and the IDF has begun its withdrawal from Lebanon.

Trucks headed to Al Arrida can only leave overnight between 7 p.m and 6 a.m, and will travel north without an escort or UN markings.

Lebanon remains security phase four, however national staff members are being allowed to return to their homes with the exception of those from the south. This is due to the risk of UXO.

• The road south to Saida is now authorized for driving in soft-shelled vehicles, though everything south of Saida and in the southern Beirut suburbs still requires armored vehicles due to the risk of UXO.
• The curfew has now expired, but UN staff are advised to exercise caution, especially after dark.

The road from Tyre to Tibnine and  Bent Jbail has been cleared, however there is heavy traffic and the threat of UXO remains high.

• The route from Beirut to the Syrian border at Masnaa is now green to UN staff movements, as is that of Nabatiye.

The UN has appointed a UN Security Officer as NGO Liaison Officer and focal point on safety and security related matters. His name is Mr. Sabir Mughal, cell +961 70 907 173.

UN humanitarian hubs are being established in Saida and Tyre. Each will have UN Security Officers to provide direct support. The OIC in Tyre is: Mr. Norman Brown, cell +963 9309 3018. The OIC in Saida is Marco Bril, cell +961 7097 3751.

• All UN staff deployed in the hubs must first attend an UXO awareness briefing.

2. AIR OPERATIONS

Middle Eastern Airways landed an initial plane at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut on August 17th, ending the 36-day blockade. More flights are now underway, and full commercial flights could resume again next week.

Work has now begun to repair the massive damage inflicted on the airport during the bombings.

• Runway 16-34 has 2,000 metres which can be used for landing and 2,100 for takeoff, but it can only accommodate one aircraft at a time due to positioning and backtracking. A bridge is down under this runway but this can still remain available while repairs are made.
• Runway 17/35 is under repair, but it will take two weeks before it is ready for use.
• The new runway 03/21 is being repaired. The old runway 03/21, formerly used as a taxiway, could possibly be made available for use if required.

WFP-UNHAS Beirut is performing an assessment of possible refuelling options at the airport. Details of the fuel situation will be provided on completion.

Regular Belgian flights carrying relief items for UNHCR will commence on August 18th.

The possibility of bi-weekly Portuguese flights carrying relief items for UNHCR has been raised.

3.    SEA

The catamaran "Vittoria", which will be providing a regular passenger service between Cyprus and Beirut, made its first sailing on August 17th without a hitch. 40 passengers were booked to travel from Larnaca to Beirut with another 20 on the return.

• A representative of the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs was present at Larnaca port at the "Vittoria's" return to assist in case visa problems were encountered.
• The ongoing service will take place bi-weekly on Mondays and Fridays, leaving Larnaca at 09:00 and returning from Beirut at 15:00.
• The passenger service is available to all UN agencies and OCHA-accredited NGOs as well as embassy staff with the proper documentation. All other requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Booking on the "Vittoria" will now be handled by a travel agent. The new procedure is available at www.unjlc.org/lebanon.

The "Anamcara" is currently back in Limassol to reload. It will return to Beirut for the morning of August 21st, after which it will take further supplies to Tyre.

• The Anamcara now has a 40-foot refrigerated container for "cold chain".

The French vessel "Cap Camarat" reached Beirut on August 17th carrying medical supplies and ambulances.

ICRC has ships sailing into Lebanon from Turkey (Mersin) and Cyprus which serve both Beirut and Tyre. Soon they hope to add Saida to the schedule.

3. BORDER CROSSING AND CUSTOMS

GENERAL

For customs clearance, port handling and transport information please see www.unjlc.org/lebanon.

CYPRUS

UNJLC currently has a customs expert in Cyprus to establish procedures and assess any difficulties which could affect the humanitarian community.

4. INFRASTRUCTURE (Roads, Bridges, Rail, Ports, Airports, Warehouse)

LEBANON

The state of roads and bridges in Lebanon remains an obstacle to the transport of relief cargo, however assessment missions and repairs are now underway.

5.    LOGISTICS COORDINATION

A list of accredited NGOs has been received from OCHA. It is necessary to be on this list in order to obtain free cargo or passenger transport through the Logistics Cluster. NGOs who do not have accreditation can file a request with the OCHA office in their respective duty station.

CMR procedures are being updated and will be posted on the UNJLC website.

BEIRUT

UNHCR has organised buses for IDPs to return to Lebanon from Syria. Current trends indicate around 1,000 - 1,500 returning by the hour.

CYPRUS

There is still comparatively little consignment cargo coming into Larnaca, much is still going through Syria or directly into Beirut by ship.

• There is currently no backlog at Larnaca airport, all goods awaiting transport have been moved to Limassol.

The Cyprus MOFA is drawing up a unified list of priority items for Lebanon. A definitive list will soon be disseminated by the HC in Beirut.

6. LOGISTICS (STOCKS)

LEBANON

For details on the latest convoys please see www.unjlc.org/lebanon.

CYPRUS

Due to the national holidays, some organizations have had difficulties transporting goods by truck through Cyprus this week. The MOFA has informed that in case of an emergency the National Guard could be called in to assist.

7. MFA/CIVIL DEFENSE FORCE UPDATE

The procedures in preparation for a slot system are in place with the Lebanese authorities. The Director General of Civil Aviation has a meeting with WFP-UNHAS on Monday to finalize matters, and it is then up to Lebanese discretion to promulgate the information and enforce the procedures.

8. MAPPING

For all UNJLC maps of Lebanon please see www.unjlc.org/lebanon.

9. FUEL (Petrol, Diesel, Kerosene)

LEBANON

A tanker has arrived in Beirut to deliver fuel, which will substantially ease the current crisis.

• The RoRo Anamcara will be taking two 28,000 L tankers of gasoline when it sails to Beirut on Sunday night.

It will also carry 70 drums of fuel for UNHCR. 50 of these are gasoline and 20 diesel.