Three israeli military aircraft violate Lebanese airspace

Three israeli military aircraft have penetrated Lebanese airspace and flown over several areas of the country in blatant violation of a UN Security Council resolution.
Two Israeli fighter jets crossed into Lebanon’s airspace over the southern border village of Kfar Kila, located 96 kilometers (59 miles) south of Beirut, at 9:45 a.m. local time (0645 GMT) on Friday, according to a statement issued by the Lebanese military.

The warplanes flew over several areas in Lebanon before leaving the country’s airspace at 12:15 p.m. local time (0915 GMT) while flying over the town of Alma al-Shaab.

On Thursday, an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle crossed into Lebanon’s airspace over the town of Alma al-Shaab at 9:10 p.m. local time (1810 GMT). The plane carried out surveillance flights over several areas in southern Lebanon, including the towns of Riyaq and Baalbek, and left at 2:30 a.m. local time on Friday (2330 GMT on Thursday).

On May 19, Lebanese President Michel Sleiman denounced the Israeli regime’s repeated incursions into Lebanon’s airspace.

He said the Israeli overflights were “an attempt to raise tensions in southern Lebanon against the international will, which is represented by the UN peacekeeping forces in the area.”

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.