Jerusalem, March 16: Two Israeli fighter jets have penetrated Lebanese airspace and flown over parts of the country in violation of a UN Security Council resolution, the Lebanese military says.
The Israeli aircraft crossed into Lebanese airspace over the northwestern city of Tripoli, located 85 kilometers (52 miles) north of the capital Beirut, at 10:15 a.m. local time (0715 GMT) on Tuesday and conducted several unwarranted flights, according to a statement released by the Lebanese military.
The Israeli warplanes left Lebanese airspace at 10:55 a.m. local time (0755 GMT) while flying over the village of al-Naqoura, situated 91 kilometers (57 miles) south of Beirut.
On Monday, four Israeli fighter jets violated Lebanese airspace and carried out covert surveillance of several areas in southern Lebanon.
Earlier in the day, two remote-controlled drones had crossed into Lebanese airspace and hovered over the southern sector of the country.
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 (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 Israel’s 2006 war on Lebanon, has called on Tel Aviv to respect Beirut’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In 2009, Lebanon filed a complaint with the United Nations presenting over 7,000 documents pertaining to Israeli violation of Lebanese territory.
——–Agencies