BEIRUT, Lebanon - A dozen IAF warplanes entered Lebanese airspace on Monday, flying at will over Beirut and elsewhere in the country, the Lebanese army said.

An army statement said that "12 enemy Israeli warplanes" violated Lebanese airspace before noon, four flying over the Mediterranean off the coastal city of Byblos in the north and then headed toward the eastern province of Hermel.

Eight other Israeli warplanes reportedly flew over the southern town of Rmeish, then headed north to Beirut, the Chouf mountains, southeast of the capital, and Hermel before heading back to the 'occupied territories', the statement said.

The Israeli forays lasted about an hour.

There was no comment from the Israeli army, which typically does not comment on its sorties in Lebanon and elsewhere.

IAF jets frequently fly over south Lebanon in what Israel describes as reconnaissance missions. The over-flights have drawn groundfire from Lebanese troops on at least two occasions since a UN-brokered cease-fire concluded the Second Lebanon War between Israel and Hizbullah guerrillas in August 2006. -Agencies