Lebanon files complaint to UN Security Council over Israel’s sound barrier violation

BEIRUT, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) — Lebanon filed a complaint to the UN Security Council on Monday regarding Israeli warplanes breaking the sound barrier over Lebanese territories, including the capital Beirut.
The official Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported that the Lebanese mission in New York filed the complaint to the UN Security Council, condemning these actions as “a flagrant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and airspace, and of Security Council Resolution 1701.”
Resolution 1701, issued by the UN Security Council in August 2006, calls for a cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, a withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the establishment of a demilitarized zone.
According to NNA, Israeli warplanes on Monday broke the sound barrier in two waves over Beirut and its suburbs, the Keserwan and Chouf regions in Mount Lebanon, and the Sidon and Jezzine regions in southern Lebanon.
Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas’ attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.
Since the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israel conflict in October 2023, Israel frequently sends warplanes to break the sound barrier over Lebanese airspace, causing loud noises similar to explosions, according to local media reports. ■