UN urges Israel to end flights over Lebanon

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 10 (Reuters) The United Nations renewed a plea to Israel today to stop violating Lebanese airspace with surveillance flights the Jewish state insists are needed to guard against arms smuggling from Syria.

The United Nations says such flights, conducted regularly by Israeli warplanes for years, are a clear violation of the cease-fire resolution adopted by the UN Security Council in August to end the 34-day Israel-Hezbollah war.

''The resolution is clear,'' UN chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

''We have asked them to cease these violations,'' Dujarric said, adding that strong UN protests were filed each time they occurred.

The French Foreign Ministry said earlier today that it hoped the United States, Israel's closest ally, would put pressure on Israel to end the flights after French peacekeepers this week nearly launched missiles at Israeli jets flying in an attack mode over their outpost.

French peacekeepers in southern Lebanon came within seconds of firing at the Israeli planes on October 31, French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said on Wednesday. She had earlier warned that the flights were ''extremely dangerous'' and had to stop.

Israel has insisted it will continue the flights to help ensure that arms are not smuggled into southern Lebanon from Syria to resupply Hezbollah guerrillas, which also is a violation of the UN cease-fire resolution. There have been conflicting reports on whether such smuggling was taking place.

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