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Last update - 12:53 25/10/2007
Lebanese sources: Troops open fire on IAF planes over Lebanon
By The Associated Press

Lebanese troops opened fire Thursday on Israel Air Force warplanes flying low over southern Lebanon, but no hits were reported, Lebanese officials said.

Lebanese soldiers opened up with machine guns and light anti-aircraft weapons mounted on armored vehicles at two planes that flew by just east of Marjayoun near the border at midmorning, a Lebanese security official said.

A total of 150 rounds were fired, he added.
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A senior Lebanese military officer also said the army confronted the Israeli planes, but gave no details.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in the absence of a formal
announcement from the military command.

It was the first time Lebanese troops had opened fire on Israeli aircraft
since an August 14, 2006 cease-fire ended a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.

It is also the first time since February that the Lebanese army, which
deployed in the south after the fighting, has fired on the Israelis.

Earlier this year, Lebanese soldiers and Israel Defense Forces troops briefly exchanged fire near the border village of Maroun el-Rass where the UN-demarcated Blue Line was not clearly marked. There were no casualties.

Israeli overflights have been a constant source of tension between the two countries. Before last year's war, Hezbollah used to open fire on IAF planes, with shrapnel from the anti-aircraft fire falling on Israeli
communities across the border, causing some casualties.

The deployment of about 15,000 Lebanese troops in the south along with some 13,000 U.N. peacekeepers after the UN-brokered ceasefire has not stopped the flyovers despite the UN describing them as a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.

Asked to comment on Thursday's incident, a spokeman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIIFIL), Ari Gaitanis, said Israeli flights over Lebanon constitute repeated violations of Security Council resolutions, and also damage efforts to reduce tension and stabilize the situation in southern Lebanon.

He said the UNIFIL commander and senior UN representatives in the region as well as a number of interested member states, have voiced concern and called on Israel to cease these overflights.

"We regularly report to the Security Council about all the violations. At the same time we urge all parties to act with restraint in order to avoid any escalation of the situation," Gaitanis said.

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      1.   It`s a start 11:03  |  Natallie Durson 25/10/07
      2.   Well done Lebanon 11:04  |  Chris Linthwaite 25/10/07
      3.   It`s legitimate 11:47  |  Yonatan 25/10/07
      4.   IF LEBANON WAS A REAL STATE W/OUT 12:15  |  THE LIBRARIAN 25/10/07
      5.   #3, Yonathan 12:15  |  Anton 25/10/07
      6.   #1 12:16  |  Salahudin The Great 25/10/07
      7.   If The Army is doing it.Why is Hesballa needed? 12:23  |  PETER S.M. 25/10/07
      8.   Legitime 12:49  |  Karl 25/10/07
      9.   # 3 12:53  |  Goldberg 25/10/07
      10.   LET LEBANON HAVE ANTI-AICRAFT MISSILES 13:00  |  TrippleJump 25/10/07
      11.   Another Israeli border violation 13:00  |  Tim 25/10/07
      12.   Good on Lebanon... fly over Israel as well in retaliation 13:01  |  kokonot 25/10/07
      13.   Better luck next time 13:03  |  Clickfool 25/10/07
      14.   Dear Peter.. 13:06  |  Amir 25/10/07
      15.   # 4 Librarian 13:10  |  christa 25/10/07
      16.   What do you think would happen... 13:13  |  christa 25/10/07
      17.   what is your problem with our PM?# 1 13:21  |  Rania 25/10/07
      18.   Ron arad needs company! 13:35  |  northern neighbor 25/10/07
      19.   Warmongers = Israel 13:43  |  Paul 25/10/07
      20.   Natallie from USA 13:50  |  northern neighbor 25/10/07
      21.   Clickfool, daydreaming... 13:50  |  Ehud 25/10/07
      22.   Go ahead Lebanon! 13:53  |  Dutch Dirk 25/10/07
      23.   HOW ELSE CAN ISRAEL SAVE EUROPE FROM N.KOREAN MUSLIM NUKES?!? 13:54  |  Mitch Iginer 25/10/07
      24.   To Rania: You asked, so here is my answer 13:58  |  Natallie Durson 25/10/07
      25.   What about Turkish and PKK ? 14:00  |  Daniel 25/10/07
      26.   Friendly Fire 14:11  |  juniper 25/10/07
      27.   kites 14:12  |  wounded 25/10/07
      28.   About time!And 24 Natalie Durson thanks for sparing us the reply! 14:13  |  lakshmi 25/10/07
      29.   To northern neighbor 14:15  |  Natallie Durson 25/10/07
      30.   Durson of Arabia 14:20  |  Ehud 25/10/07
      31.   For Ehud # 21 14:22  |  Clickfool 25/10/07
      32.   The report says not that IAF returned fire 14:24  |  Joseph E . 25/10/07
      33.   Lebanon needs to buy some Chinese and Russian hardware 14:28  |  anti-racist 25/10/07
      34.   FANATIC NEO-CONservative MUSLIMIST DURSON JUST CAN`T HELP HERSELF 14:34  |  Tom Bell 25/10/07
      35.   Flights over Lebanon 14:38  |  Abu Halil 25/10/07
      36.   The Anti-Israel Bleaters 14:46  |  Gabriel 25/10/07
      37.   I MISSED ALL MUSLIM TALKBACKS AGAINST HIZBALLAH REARMING. 15:00  |  ATTA TYPPESH 25/10/07
      38.   To Natalie, No My last name is Zeidan 15:34  |  Rania 25/10/07
      39.   To Karl #8 15:40  |  a lebanese citizen 25/10/07
      40.   Dutch Dirk 15:53  |  Itsik 25/10/07
      41.   # 35 Abu Halil 16:10  |  Joseph E . 25/10/07
      42.   I wish it was true 16:41  |  Ahmed 25/10/07
      43.   Israelis in American planes. 17:10  |  oliver masterman 25/10/07
      44.   HAHAHAHAHAA!!!! At least it WASNT Hebollah!! 17:20  |  Damien 25/10/07
      45.   HAHAHAHAHAA!!!! At least it WASNT Hebollah!! 17:21  |  Damien 25/10/07
      46.   THIS PROVES, ISRAEL WON THE WAR!!!!!!!!! 17:21  |  Damien 25/10/07
      47.   THIS PROVES, ISRAEL WON THE WAR!!!!!!!!! 17:21  |  Damien 25/10/07
      48.   Israel violating ceasefire? Hezbollah is violating cease-fire too 17:28  |  James 25/10/07
      49.   Israel violating ceasefire? Hezbollah is violating cease-fire too 17:28  |  James 25/10/07
      50.   The trouble with Israel 17:37  |  oliver masterman 25/10/07
      51.   Oliver, another British daydreamer... 17:40  |  Ehud 25/10/07
      52.   Clickfool #21 17:44  |  Ehud 25/10/07
      53.   Hezbollah 17:49  |  Pedro 25/10/07
      54.   Masterman 17:53  |  Ehud 25/10/07
      55.   Ehud, oh Ehud! 18:28  |  Oliver Masterman 25/10/07
      56.   hizbuallah is developing cluster AAA missiles 18:54  |  tea man 25/10/07
      57.   #23 Mitch Iginer - Muslims already have around 50 nuclear weapons 18:55  |  Pablo B 25/10/07
      58.   To 7 18:57  |  Tarek 25/10/07
      59.   Pray to what ever cuckoo God you believe in 19:29  |  Gemayel 25/10/07
      60.   Oliver Masterman @55 19:55  |  Mark B. 25/10/07
      61.   when the year of the destruction approach in the hebrew calneder 20:04  |  shia 4 ever 25/10/07
      62.   150 rounds and you missed?? 20:10  |  vik 25/10/07
      63.   BLAST them from the skies 20:17  |  Joe B 25/10/07
      64.   US - Give Lebanon SAM`s or Hezboolah will Get Them Instead. 20:41  |  Mr. Knowitall 25/10/07
      65.   Masterman, you still don`t get it 21:06  |  Ehud 25/10/07
      66.   #57 Pablo B 21:25  |  * BEN JABO 25/10/07
      67.   #58 Tarek - What`s your problem..? 21:27  |  * BEN JABO 25/10/07
      68.   Israel is demonstrating to her neighbors how it wants to be 21:44  |  Apartheid 25/10/07
      69.   #47 Say Damien--Israel won the war? What war? 21:44  |  ballistic 25/10/07
      70.   #57 Pablo--Muslim nukes in Pakistan 21:56  |  ballistic 25/10/07
      71.   #60 Knowitall 21:58  |  ballistic 25/10/07
      72.   #56 tea man 22:10  |  Chris Linthwaite 25/10/07
      73.   Israel needs to start having its butt kicked 22:25  |  Steve 25/10/07
      74.   Flights over lebanon 22:57  |  Mustafa 25/10/07
      75.   #63-2 Pablo B 23:22  |  * BEN JABO 25/10/07
      76.   Just provocative 23:24  |  LisaV 25/10/07
      77.   Chris Linthwaite 23:33  |  rich 25/10/07
      78.   Amir in Beirut 23:38  |  rich 25/10/07
      79.   # 18 Northern neighbour, the barbarian 23:42  |  Paul Henzen 25/10/07
      80.   Dear Mr. Masterman 00:03  |  dovale 26/10/07
      81.   To Clickfool 00:21  |  dovale 26/10/07
      82.   THE LEBANESE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL 05:04