Beirut, June 14 (QNA) - The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs dispatched letters to the Security Council and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, lodging complaints based on a report prepared by the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research.

The complaints pertain to the use by Israeli forces in February of the herbicide "glyphosate" - a chemical agent used to eliminate vegetation - which was reportedly sprayed over several southern Lebanese border villages.

The Ministry noted that the Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of herbicides as a means of warfare.

Laboratory tests and chemical analyses conducted on soil samples taken from Aita Al-Shaab, Ras Al-Naqoura, and Dhayra confirmed the use of glyphosate at high concentration levels, reaching approximately 23,000 micrograms per gram, the Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

It stressed that this use significantly exceeded levels typically recorded in agricultural soils following direct application by farmers, which generally range between 0.5 and 2 micrograms per gram at most.

The statement further noted the ongoing Israeli actions in Lebanon, including the targeting of a Lebanese Armed Forces military vehicle earlier this month on the Kfartebnit-Khardali road, which killed two officers of brigadier and captain rank and one soldier while they were discharging their national duty in southern Lebanon.

The Ministry called on the United Nations to condemn the incident, take immediate necessary measures to halt these repeated violations, and ensure compliance with the United Nations Charter and relevant international resolutions, including Resolution 1701 (2006).

  The statement further referred to the US-brokered Lebanon-Israel negotiations that are underway in Washington, with measures being proposed to consolidate a cessation of hostilities and establish conditions for a sustainable and peaceful settlement ensuring security and stability in the region, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces beyond internationally recognized borders.

However, the statement stressed that the continued targeting of Lebanese military personnel could be goaded into escalation, thereby directly vitiating diplomatic efforts and jeopardizing efforts to strengthen state authority and consolidate Lebanon's sovereignty over its entire territory under its exclusive jurisdiction. (QNA)