Israeli warplanes keep overflying southern Lebanon

    JERUSALEM, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israel Air Forces warplanes have not stopped violating Lebanese air space since Israeli ground troops completed withdrawal from southern Lebanon in early October.

    Irritated by Israeli fighters' ongoing operations, Major General Alain Pellegrini of France, commander of UN Interim Forcein Lebanon (UNIFIL) warned last week that the UN troops might need to change the rules of engagement to allow the use of anti-aircraft missiles against Israeli jets. Full Story

Extreme-right party joins Israeli coalition cabinet

    JERUSALEM, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- An extreme-right party joined Israel's coalition government on Monday in line with an agreement reached between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the party's chairman Avigdor Lieberman, causing disputes in the Jewish state.

    "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the chairman of the Yisrael Beitenu ("Our home is Israel") party, Avigdor Lieberman, several minutes ago signed an agreement on Yisrael Beitenu's joining the coalition," Olmert's office said in a statement. Full Story

A Lebanese soldier clears mines at the fence along the border with Israel in Khiam valley in south Lebanon October 23, 2006. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

Lebanese army dismantles Israeli marks of violations

    BEIRUT, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese army on Monday dismantled all existing marks of violations set up by Israeli troops during their July-August war on Lebanon, the country's National News Agency reported.

    According to the report, the army troops removed the pipes and put up sand barricades on the Lebanese side of the "Blue Line" amid heavy Israeli patrols along the border fence. Full Story

Israeli warplanes fly over Lebanon despite French warnings

    JERUSALEM, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Air Force (IAF) flights carried out their overflights over Lebanon on Monday, despite a French warning to halt such missions, Israel's local newspaper Ha'aretz reported on its website edition.

An Israeli warplane returns home from a mission over Lebanon.(File Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    The IAF's flights flew low over Beirut Monday, a day after Israel rejected a call by France's Defence Minister to halt violations of its neighbor's airspace, said the report.

    Meanwhile, four Israeli warplanes conducted mock raid over southern Lebanon and the residents also saw them flying low over the port city of Tyre, causing a sonic boom while Muslims celebrated their Eid al-Fitr. Full Story