Attacks On United Nations Personnel During The 2006 Lebanon War - Israeli Flyovers

Israeli Flyovers

In the aftermath of the war, aircraft of the Israeli Air Force began fly over Lebanon. In September 2006, Major General Alain Pellegrini of France, commander of UNIFIL, warned that the flyovers violated the cease-fire, and that force might be used to stop the incursions. In October 2006, a number of incidents between the Israeli Air Force and UN peacekeepers took place:

• On 3 October 2006, an Israeli fighter jet penetrated the 2-nautical-mile (3.7 km) defence perimeter of the French frigate Courbet, triggering a diplomatic incident between Israel and France. Israel apologized after official protests from France.

• On 24 October 2006, six Israeli fighter jets flew over a German vessel patrolling off Israel's coast just south of Lebanon, after a helicopter took off from the vessel without Israeli permission. The German Defense Ministry claimed that the planes fired flares, and one fired two shots into the air. Israeli officials denied the claim of two shots being fired, but claimed they did not know whether flares had been used.

• On 31 October 2006, eight Israeli F-15 fighter jets flew over many areas of Lebanon, including Beirut. The jets also nose-dived over a French peacekeeping position in what was interpreted as attack formation. French troops responded by readying an anti-aircraft missile. According to French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, the troops were "seconds away" from firing the missile at the jets.