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On August 20th, Lebanon lodged a complaint at the United Nations due to Israel continually carrying out airstrikes from its airspace.
Caretaker Lebanese Defense Minister Zeina Akar, in a statement, condemned the Israeli violation of Lebanese airspace during its bombing of Syrian areas on August 19th.
Akar noted that the Israeli violation posed a direct and serious threat to the Lebanese navigation and safety of civil aviation, and were in flagrant violation of international resolutions, especially United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 33-day-long Israeli military onslaught on Lebanon in the summer of 2006.
She said that a complaint had been filed through Lebanon’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Amal Mudallali regarding Israeli violations.
She stressed that the UN must deter Israel from violating and using Lebanese airspace to launch its attacks against neighboring Syria.
Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said, on his part, also condemned the continuous encroachment:
“The enemy’s continuous violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty is a direct violation to UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”
Diab added that the UN should condemn the Israeli aggression and take measures that preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty and protect Resolution 1701.
Major General Stefano Del Col, head of mission and force commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), condemned the Israeli violations, stressing that such overflights undermine the Arab country’s sovereignty.
Overflights of Lebanese territory by Israeli fighter aircraft are violations of @UN Res. 1701 and of #Lebanon's sovereignty. I again call on the IDF to desist from such actions, which undermine #UNIFIL efforts to contain tensions and build confidence among the local population.
— Stefano Del Col (@stefanodelcol) August 20, 2021
He called on the Israeli military to put an end to such actions, stressing that they undermine UNIFIL’s efforts to contain tensions and build confidence among the local population in southern Lebanon.
On August 17th, and then 19th, Israel carried out strikes towards Syrian soil, striking alleged Hezbollah positions.
An anonymous Syria military source told Syria’s official SANA news agency that the Israeli military launched missile strikes targeting some posts on the outskirts of Damascus and in Homs.
The source added that most missiles coming from the southeastern side of Beirut were intercepted by Syrian air defense systems.
According to Lebanon, Israel violates the country’s airspace on an almost daily basis, claiming the flights serve surveillance purposes.
Lebanon’s government, the Hezbollah resistance movement and UNIFIL have repeatedly condemned the overflights, saying they are in clear violation of UN Resolution 1701 and the country’s sovereignty.
More than a year ago, in April 2020, Lebanon lodged a complaint to the United Nation against Tel Aviv for violating the country’s airspace after Israeli military aircraft carried out airstrikes on multiple targets in Syria’s central province of Homs.
In 2009, Lebanon filed a complaint with the UN, presenting over 7,000 documents pertaining to Israeli violations of Lebanese territory.
None of these have led to anything substantial.
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