An Israeli F-15 fighter jet taking off from an airbase in the occupied territories

Beirut, January 26 (RHC)-- Israeli fighter jets have reportedly violated Lebanese airspace, carrying out a number of high-altitude flights over several southern cities.  Lebanon’s state-run media said Israel used F-35 and F-15 warplanes on Monday afternoon to violate the country’s airspace over the cities of Nabatiyeh, Iqlim al-Tuffah and Tyre.

Reports said it was the first time Tel Aviv had used F-35 fighter jets of the advanced fifth-generation in such intrusive missions, and that the flights were conducted at high altitude.

Israeli aircraft have been intruding into Lebanon's skies on an almost daily basis since 2006, when the regime withdrew from the country's south after staging a devastating war against it, claiming the flights serve surveillance purposes. 

Lebanon's government, the Hezbollah resistance movement and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have repeatedly condemned the overflights, saying they are in clear violation of UN Resolution 1701 and the country's sovereignty.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brokered a ceasefire in the war of aggression Israel launched against Lebanon in 2006, calls on Tel Aviv to respect Beirut's sovereignty and territorial integrity.  In 2009, Lebanon filed a complaint with the UN, presenting over 7,000 documents pertaining to Israeli violations of Lebanese territory.