Tensions in the north? Lebanon says 'enemy' airplanes violated its airspace Monday, flew over Lebanese cities; Meanwhile, Israel complains that UNIFIL forces fail to report illegal Hizbullah activities
The Lebanese army reported that Israeli Air
Force jets flew over Beirut on Monday. The army said in a statement that 12 "enemy" Israeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace before noon Monday by flying missions over Beirut and elsewhere in the country. The IDF said it will not discuss its operational activities.
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The Lebanese statement added that four jets flew over the Mediterranean off the coastal city of Byblos in the north and headed toward the eastern province of Hermel, while eight other jets flew over the southern town of Rmeish, then headed north to Beirut, the Chouf Mountains, southeast of the capital, and Hermel before flying back to the "occupied territories."
The Israeli over-flights lasted about an hour, the statement said.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials remarked that UN forces stationed in Lebanon do
not report fully on Hizbullah's illegal activities in southern Lebanon. The officials claimed that Hizbullah is
violating the ceasefire treaty signed at the end of the Second Lebanon War,
banning group members from entering the demilitarized territory near the border with Israel.
The officials also claimed that UN forces came across a suspicious truck being followed by gunmen late in March, but neglected to report the incident in full to the UN Security Council. The incident was mentioned in short in Secretary-General Ban KI-moon's report, but Hizbullah was not held responsible. UN forces said the gunmen escaped and have not been identified.
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