Israeli spy aircraft violates Lebanese airspace

An Israeli reconnaissance plane has penetrated Lebanese airspace and flown over parts of the country in flagrant violation of a UN Security Council resolution.

The unmanned aerial vehicle crossed into Lebanon’s airspace over the southern village of al-Naqoura, situated 91 kilometers (57 miles) south of Beirut, at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Thursday, according to a statement issued by the Lebanese military on Friday.

The remote-controlled aircraft carried out surveillance flights over several areas in southern Lebanon and Beirut before it left Lebanese airspace at 11:15 a.m. (0815 GMT) while flying over the southern village of Rmeish.

Israel violates Lebanon’s airspace on an almost daily basis, claiming the flights serve surveillance purposes.

Lebanon’s government, the Hezbollah resistance movement, and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, have repeatedly condemned the overflights, saying they are in clear violation of UN Resolution 1701 and the country’s sovereignty.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brokered a ceasefire in the war of aggression Israel launched against Lebanon in 2006, calls on Israel to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In 2009, Lebanon filed a complaint with the United Nations, presenting over 7,000 documents pertaining to Israeli violations of Lebanese territory.