Israel Air Force planes swooped low over Lebanon on Monday, a day after Israel rejected a call by France's defence minister to halt violations of its neighbor's airspace.

The planes conducted mock raids over much of southern Lebanon, Reuters reported, and residents saw them flying low over the capital Beirut, but neither Hezbollah nor the Lebanese army fired anti-aircraft rounds at them as they have done in previous years.

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Israeli jets have routinely flown over Lebanon since the 34-day war with Hezbollah ended on August 14 with a United Nations-sponsored truce and the expansion of a UN peacekeeping force, including a French contingent, in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese government and the UN say the overflights, which Israel had continued to conduct after it ended its 22-year presence in south Lebanon in 2000, violate both the latest truce and the terms of Israel's earlier pullout.

Israel said on Sunday its combat planes would continue to fly over south Lebanon to ensure that weapons are not smuggled in from Syria to resupply Hezbollah.

At the UN on Friday, French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie called Israel's violations of Lebanese airspace "extremely dangerous" and said they should stop immediately.

She said an Israeli aircraft may mistakenly be seen by UN troops as having hostile intent, possibly triggering a "very serious incident".