Israel: Flights over Lebanon 

Source: CCTV.com

10-23-2006 07:56

The Israeli military has refused to halt surveillance flights over Lebanon. This despite calls to stop and feelings that they might represent a breach of the cease-fire. Now, French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie is urging Israel to halt its aerial operations.

Michele Alliot-marie, French defense minister said, “It is dangerous first of all because they can be considered hostile by the coalition forces who could be brought to retaliate in self-defense; and that would be a very serious incident. Secondly, we have to see that these violations of the air space make the resolution more fragile.”

Mark Regev, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said, “It is clear also, unfortunately, that the Lebanese side has still much to do specifically to implement the international arms embargo, to prevent illicit arms transfers to Hezbollah and of course to remove from south Lebanon an armed Hezbollah presence as the resolution calls for. Our intelligence flights are in many ways a response to these failures of the Lebanese side to implement the resolution.”

Editor:Sun Luying