I. Introduction
1. The present report provides a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) since my predecessor’s report of 4 November 2016 (S/2016/931).
2. My Special Coordinator for Lebanon continued to provide the good offices of the United Nations, in coordination with the International Support Group for Lebanon, to support the efforts of Lebanon to address its security and stability challenges. The situation in the area of operations of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) remained generally calm. Both parties remain committed to resolution 1701 (2006). The parties did not, however, use the prevailing calm to effect progress on their outstanding obligations under the resolution and towards a permanent ceasefire.
3. In a welcome political achievement, on 18 December 2016, Prime Minister Saad Hariri formed a new Government, which was endorsed by Parliament on 28 December 2016. As Parliament’s term is due to end on 20 June 2017, it is important that preparations for new elections, in accordance with the electoral calendar, continue in conformity with the country’s constitution and its democratic practice.
4. Lebanon’s stability and security also remain contingent on developments in the neighbouring Syrian Arab Republic. The Lebanese Armed Forces continued to play a vital role in maintaining security on the border with the Syrian Arab Republic and throughout Lebanon, including in countering threats from terrorist extremist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Nusrah Front.
5. As of 31 December 2016, the number of Syrian refugees registered with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stood at 1,011,366. Both President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Hariri have repeatedly highlighted the need for the international community to provide greater assistance in this regard.
6. The situation in the Palestine refugee camps remained generally calm, with the exception of Ein El Helweh camp, where serious clashes between extremist militants and Fatah members resulted in a number of fatalities and disruptions of essential services of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The construction of a security perimeter around the Ein El Helweh camp, initiated by the Lebanese Armed Forces, in 2014, resumed in late October 2016, but was subsequently suspended