Lebanon to complain to UN over Israeli violations of its airspace

The Lebanese President, Michel Suleiman, on Sunday asked his Foreign Minister, Adnan Mansour, to file an urgent complaint with the United Nations over recent Israeli violations of Lebanon’s airspace.

The office of the Lebanese president took the step after hearing Israeli planes over several parts of Lebanon in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Speaking to the National News Agency, Mansour said: “Israeli provocations and violations of Lebanese sovereignty are nothing new and are in line with its policy of continuous aggression against the country and region as a whole.”

No news about an Israeli response to the step has as yet been reported.

The United Nations asked Israel last May to end its violations of Lebanese airspace. UN spokesman, Martin Nesirky, announced that UNIFIL had lodged a protest against the Israeli violations after they were intensified.

He added that Israeli planes flying over Lebanese airspace constitutes a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which guarantees a cease-fire and an end to Israel’s military presence in southern Lebanon in 2006.