Two Israeli spy drones violate Lebanon’s airspace

Two Israeli reconnaissance planes have penetrated Lebanon’s airspace and flown over parts of the country in flagrant violation of a UN Security Council resolution.

An Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle crossed into the Lebanese airspace over the southern border town of Alma al-Shaab at 8:05 a.m. local time (0505 GMT) on Sunday, according to a statement issued by the Lebanese military.

The remote-controlled aircraft carried out surveillance flights over several areas in southern Lebanon, including the towns of Riyaq and Baalbek, before it left the airspace at around 5:00 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) while flying over the southern border village of Kfar Kila, located about 96 kilometers (59 miles) south of Beirut.

Later in the day, an Israeli drone entered Lebanon’s airspace over the southern village of al-Naqoura, situated some 91 kilometers (57 miles) south of Beirut, at 12:10 p.m. local time (0910 GMT) and flew over several areas in southern Lebanon.

The aircraft left Lebanese airspace at around 6:00 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) while flying over the southern village of Rmeish.

Israel violates Lebanon’s airspace on an almost daily basis, claiming that 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 Lebanon’s sovereignty.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brokered a ceasefire in the war of aggression Israel launched on Lebanon in 2006, calls on the Tel Aviv regime 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 its territory.