IAF F-16
IAF F-16Flash 90

An organization called AirPressure.info has published a new and comprehensive study that reveals the scope of the Israeli Air Force's activity in the skies of Lebanon.

According to data now published by the organization, the Israeli Air Force has executed no less than 22,000 flights in Lebanese airspace over the past 15 years. Some of the flights were only short excursions, while others lasted over 4.5 hours.

The authors of the study claim that the Israeli Air Force makes sorties to Lebanon in fighter jets or advanced surveillance planes, for which the Lebanese army has no answer. The authors of the study also published a map showing the Israeli Air Force's flight paths in Lebanese airspace, which shows that the Israeli Air Force has covered almost the entire territory of Lebanon, with most flights concentrated in southern Lebanon and Beirut.

Another area frequented by the IAF is northern Lebanon, close to the border with Syria. Lawrence Abu Hamdan, one of the study's authors, also claims that studies collected over the years have shown that residents of the areas in Lebanon visited by Air Force planes suffered from various physical and mental symptoms including hypertension, psychosomatic pain, panic and panic caused by flights of Israeli fighter jets passing by at low altitude.

Abu Hamdan also used his research to urge the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop flights in Lebanese airspace. "What I aspire to present is a cumulative incident, a long-standing crime that has taken place over the last 15 years. It really should be seen as an atmosphere of violence. The toll is taken only gradually, so it has the potential to be ignored, but should not be ignored anymore. Why should a population live under indiscriminate mass surveillance and live under hostile skies?" writes Abu Hamdan.