BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The Lebanese Ministry of Information said Thursday the Israeli military intensified foot and mounted patrols near the southern border region.
The ministry's official National News Agency said the Israeli military was observed "behind the border line, away from the barbed wire, off the liberated regions."
In a separate statement, the Lebanese army said it observed an Israeli reconnaissance plane flying over Lebanese airspace.
Lebanon has issued several formal complaints with the United Nations about Israeli military activity. Maj. Gen. Paolo Serra, commander of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, met Thursday with Lebanese leaders in Beirut to discuss his mission's activities.
"An important factor in our success has been the understanding and support of the people of south Lebanon, and I assured the leaders that the safety and security our cherished hosts remain uppermost in our considerations," Serra said in a statement.
The Israeli military this week bombarded an area along the shared Lebanese border with Syria. The Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah said in a statement it was a "flagrant" act of aggression, to which it "will choose the appropriate time, place and way to retaliate."
