The Lebanese army issued a statement Tuesday saying its gunners fired anti-aircraft artillery at Israel warplanes as they flew over south Lebanon.

The IAF jets flew at a low altitude over Beirut, its suburbs and large areas of south Lebanon on Tuesday, witnesses and Lebanese security sources said.

Meanwhile, France said Tuesday that Israeli overflights of Lebanon's airspace are violations of Lebanese sovereignty and must be stopped.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said the overflights are "contrary to the spirit" of United Nations Resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah on August 14.

The resolution calls for both Israel and Lebanon to respect the boundary drawn by the United Nations after Israel ended its 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000.

"We consider that these overflights constitute a violation of Lebanese sovereignty," Mattei said.

"We call on Israel to put an end to these overflights and we call on all partners to refrain from any act that could maintain or increase tension," he said at a regular briefing.

Lebanese security sources said eight planes entered Lebanese airspace from the south and flew north to Beirut and its southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.

In the heaviest show of aerial power since the August 14 cease-fire, IAF fighter jets dived down at least six times to zoom low over the southern suburbs.

No bombing was reported, but the roar of the jets caused concern among residents, some of whom took to the rooftops and balconies to watch.

In south Lebanon, officials and witnesses reported IAF planes staging mock raids over the towns of Nabatiyeh and Tyre.

The Lebanese army statement said four of the eight Israeli planes flew over southern Lebanon while the other four flew over the rest of the country including Beirut.

Lebanon's official National News Agency reported that the IAF planes released hot air balloons to deflect heat-seeking missiles over southern Beirut.

Israel has said its combat planes would continue to fly over Lebanon to ensure that weapons are not smuggled into southern Lebanon from Syria to resupply Hezbollah.

IAF air raids during the war destroyed large districts of the southern suburbs, mainly Hezbollah strongholds, and several towns and villages in south Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces refused to confirm that its planes had flown over Beirut, saying it does not give operational details.

The overflights also came a few hours before Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah was scheduled to appear on a Lebanese television channel.

Nasrallah has been in hiding since the war began in July, sparked by the kidnap of two Israel Defense Forces soldiers in a cross-border raid by Hezbollah.

He has appeared in public only once, on September 22, to give a speech at a Hezbollah "victory rally." Israeli officials have threatened to assassinate him. (with agnencies)