Israeli warplanes fly low over Beirut, suburbs
Reuters
31-10-2006
Israeli warplanes staged mock raids Tuesday over Hezbollah strongholds in south Beirut in the heaviest show of air power over Lebanon since an Aug. 14 cease-fire.
The Israeli fighter jets dived low over the southern suburbs at least six times before roaring back into the sky.
Lebanese security officials said eight Israeli jets had crossed the border and dispersed, flying over southern and central Lebanon, with some reaching south Beirut.
Some concerned residents took to rooftops and balconies to watch.
In Jerusalem, an Israeli military spokesperson said he was checking the report of the mock raids, which lasted more than 30 minutes.
Tuesday's show was the heaviest aerial incursion of Lebanon since the end of Israel's 34-day offensive against the Hezbollah militant group. Lebanon, with United Nations support, has frequently protested Israeli flights over its territory.
The war, which ended in a U.N.-brokered cease-fire on Aug. 14, killed more than 1,000 people — mostly Lebanese civilians.
Flights at Beirut's international airport, which lies south of the city, were not affected Tuesday.