Source: AFP, 20-12-2006
TYRE, Lebanon: "Israeli" warplanes carried out low-altitude flights over Southern Lebanon on Tuesday, despite past protests from UN peacekeepers, Lebanese police said. They said four planes flew over the port city of Tyre as well as areas in the western and central sectors along the Lebanese-"Israeli" border.
"Israeli" Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni reiterated last week that such flights were needed to monitor alleged arms smuggling by Hizbullah in order to restock following the July-August war.
"The only reason for these `Israeli` flights is to get more information," she said.
France, which currently commands the UN mission in Lebanon, issued an angry protest to "Israeli" authorities in October following a series of airspace violations over its positions in South Lebanon.
UN chief Kofi Annan has warned that "Israel`s" airspace violations "undermine the credibility of both UNIFIL and Lebanese armed forces and compromise overall efforts to stabilize the situation."
UN Resolution 1701, adopted in mid-August, ended 34 days of fighting that killed approximately 1,200 people in Lebanon, overwhelmingly civilians, and at least 150 "Israelis", mostly soldiers.