BEIRUT: The latest report by the U.N. secretary-general on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, describes Lebanon’s security situation as “generally stable,” but warns of several threats to this stability including political polarization and instability arising from the crisis in Syria

.According to an advance copy of the report obtained by The Daily Star Wednesday, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon says the Syrian situation is a serious concern for stability, noting that security forces have continued to carry out operations along the recently mined border and that cross-border fire has led to casualties.

The report also mentions the February clashes in Tripoli, which killed three and wounded 20, that took place in the context of the Syria crisis.

“The deepening crisis in the Syrian Arab Republic has continued to affect Lebanon, increasing political polarization and concern that the unrest in Syria could have negative ramifications for Lebanon’s stability,” reads the report.

The latest report on the implementation of Resolution 1701 also gives updates on a number of the recent security incidents that have impacted the south.

Investigations are still ongoing into the December bombing that wounded five French peacekeepers and two civilians near Tyre; no arrests have been made.

“The latest attack demonstrated that the terrorist threat against UNIFIL is not limited to areas along the main supply route outside of the area of operations, but extends also into the mission’s area of operations, including areas in close proximity to population centers,” reads the report.

The report notes that investigations are still ongoing into the two incidents where rockets were fired toward Israel on Nov. 29 and Dec. 11. The rocket fired on Dec. 11 fell in Lebanon in the town of Houla, injuring one woman.

Investigators were unable to determine whether the rockets used were stored in the area or were brought in for use in the attacks.

Israeli jets and drones have made near daily incursions into Lebanese airspace, violating the Security Council resolution and Lebanese sovereignty, according to the report.

UNIFIL peacekeepers have “generally enjoyed freedom of movement to carry out over 10,000 patrols every month.” But there were also two incidents in December when peacekeepers were unable to carry out their duties as groups of civilians stopped UNIFIL patrols, accusing them of taking photographs. The civilians confiscated cameras from the soldiers.

One UNIFIL vehicle was damaged during the incidents when civilians rammed the peacekeepers car.

Apart from the rocket attacks, border violations have mostly come in the form of ground violations by shepherds and farmers in the Shebaa and Kafr Shuba areas, as well as one occasion when individuals crossed the Blue Line and photographed the surrounding area.

The report says there were some incidents of civilians throwing stones at the Israeli technical fence. But there have been no recent incidents of weapons aimed between Israeli and Lebanese soldiers.

Despite continued Israeli allegations, the report says there have been no arms caches or military infrastructure found in UNIFIL’s area of operations.

The process of visibly marking the Blue Line between the two countries is ongoing. As of Feb. 14, 253 out of 470 points have been determined.

The report acknowledged the work of Maj. Gen. Alberto Asarta Cuevas who finished his work as force commander at the end of February. Italian Maj. Gen. Paolo Serra has taken over from Cuevas.Serra has held a number of meetings with Israeli and Lebanese officials to increase compliance with the U.N. resolution. The report said there has been no progress in establishing a UNIFIL office in Tel Aviv.

UNIFIL’s strategic review of its operations has been completed and briefed to the Security Council. The public version is due out in the next few weeks, the report said. The review is expected to detail ways the Lebanese Armed Forces can take over more responsibility along the Blue Line.

Ban also weighed in on the general security situation in Lebanon.

He said Hezbollah’s arms in the country “pose a serious challenge to the state’s ability to exercise full sovereignty and authority over its territory.”

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command and Fatah al-Intifada camps along the Lebanese Syrian border are hurting Lebanese authority, he added.

The secretary-general made a call for resumption of the National Dialogue, noting the meetings had not been convened since November 2010.

“I continue to believe that only a domestic political process in Lebanon can yield the disarmament of armed groups in such a way that the unity, political stability, institutional capacity and authority of the Lebanese state is enhanced.”

But he added: “The regional environment in which the effort to implement Resolution 1701 unfolds is of critical importance to its success.”