Lebanese Army opens fire on IAF planes flying over southern Lebanon

      Lebanese Army troops opened fire on Israeli military aircraft that flew low over the southern part of the country Thursday morning, but no hits were reported. A security source in Beirut said troops opened up with machine guns and light anti-aircraft weapons at two planes that flew by just east of Marjayoun. He said a total of 150 rounds were fired. This was the first time in a y ar that Lebanese forces opened fire on Israeli aircraft. The deployment of about 15,000 Lebanese troops in the south along with some 13,000 U.N. peacekeepers after the UN-brokered ceasefire has not stopped the flyovers despite the UN describing them as a violation of Lebanese sovereignty. Asked to comment on Thursday's incident, a spokeman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIIFIL), Ari Gaitanis, said Israeli flights over Lebanon constitute repeated violations of Security Council resolutions, and also damage efforts to reduce tension and stabilize the situation in southern Lebanon, media reported. (15,55)