Beirut - The United Nations on Tuesday called on Israel to
stop its daily air violations of Lebanese airspace, Yasmina Bouzian,
spokeswoman of the UN Interim Force in southern Lebanon said Tuesday.
'We have protested to Israel this issue and we expect them to stop
because it is a violation of UN resolution 1701 ... and will
eventually increase the tension in the area,' she said.
Israeli warplanes have carried out intensive overflights over
southern Lebanon in the past ten days.
The Lebanese army on October 25 confronted two Israeli jets flying
at low altitude over southern Lebanon.
Israeli warplanes frequently fly over Lebanese airspace in what
Israel says are reconnaissance missions.
Israeli overflights have been a constant source of tension between
the two countries.
Before the July 12, 2006 Israeli war on Hezbollah, the Lebanese
Shiite group used to open fire on Israeli planes, with shrapnel from
the anti-aircraft fire falling on Israeli communities across the
border, causing some casualties.
The deployment of about 15,000 Lebanese troops in the south along
with some 13,000 UN peacekeepers in accordance of UN Security Council
resolution 1701, which also put into effect a ceasefire and ended 33-
days of Israeli war in Lebanon.
The UN ceasefire has not stopped the flyovers despite that the UN
has described them as a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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