BEIRUT, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Two Israeli warplanes on Sunday flew across the skies over northern Lebanon, violating the Lebanese air space, military sources said.

    The sources said one Israeli plane violated Lebanon's airspace while heading north at 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) above the sea between the northern coastal town of Shekka and the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon's second largest city.

    Another aircraft roared above the eastern ancient town of Baalbeck around 11 a.m. (0900 GMT), the sources added. Israel has continued to carry out flights over Lebanese territory despite a UN-brokered ceasefire which ended a 34-dayconflict between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah last summer.

    The flights have been increasingly criticized by the international community.

    But Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz has said that his country would continue its controversial flights over Lebanon, saying they were needed to stem alleged arms smuggling to Hezbollah.