A sharp jump in Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace is threatening the relative calm that has prevailed along the shared borders in recent weeks, the United Nations warned on Tuesday. Six violations were recorded on Tuesday and four on Monday, involving Israeli planes, helicopters and drones, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said. Staffan de Mistura, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's chief envoy in southern Lebanon, "strongly reiterates his call on the Israeli authorities to cease these breaches of the blue line and reminds all parties that one violation cannot justify another," a mission statement said. The blue line is the troubled U.N.-drawn frontier between northern Israel and southern Lebanon, which is monitored by the 2,000-strong U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL.
