Israeli planes violate Lebanon airspace

Three Israeli military aircraft have penetrated the Lebanese airspace once again, flying over parts of the country in blatant violation of a UN Security Council resolution. An Israeli reconnaissance plane crossed into Lebanese airspace over the village of al-Naqoura, situated 91 kilometers (57 miles) south of the capital Beirut, at 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Monday and performed covert surveillance fights over southern Lebanon, according to a statement released by the Lebanese military. The remote-controlled drone left Lebanese airspace at 4:00 p.m. local time (1300 GMT) while flying over the southern village of Rmeish. Meanwhile, two Israeli fighters infringed upon the Lebanese airspace over the border village of Kfar Kila, situated 96 kilometers (59 miles) south of Beirut, at 10:35 a.m. (0735 GMT) on Monday. The aircraft flew over the southern areas of Lebanon at 12:30 p.m. local time (0930 GMT) and left. 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 the country's sovereignty. UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brokered a ceasefire in the war Israel launched against Lebanon in 2006, calls on Tel Aviv to respect Beirut's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Lebanon filed a complaint with the United Nations in 2009, submitting over 7,000 documents pertaining to Israeli violation of Lebanese territory.