Israeli warplanes violate Lebanese air space, draw fire from Hezbollah

In a first wave, planes flew over southern Lebanon before heading toward the eastern Bekaa Valley, where Syrian troops are stationed, and then into northern Lebanon near the capital and the Syrian border, the source said.

An hour later, Israeli aircraft flew several times at medium altitude over the port of Sidon and the Palestinian refugee camps of Ain el-Helweh and Mieh-Mieh, an Agence France-Presse correspondent reported.

Farther south, Israeli aircraft flew at medium altitude over the port of Tyre, creating a loud double bang as they broke the sound barrier, police said.

Hezbollah batteries, deployed in force at the Lebanese-Syrian border, fired against the aircraft flying over Tyre and the western part of the border.

Islamic Resistance, the armed branch of Hezbollah, said batteries shot four times "against enemy airplanes," which violated the air space of eastern, central and western sectors of the border.

Israeli overflights into Lebanese territory, sometimes responded to by military or Hezbollah fire, have increased since the beginning of the month, drawing condemnation from the United Nations.