Cellular phone lines in southern Lebanon were disrupted on Wednesday, apparently due to interference by Israeli forces and United Nations peacekeepers, the Lebanese Ministry of Communications said.

The ministry informed Lebanon's official news agency that communications experts and Lebanese cellular phone companies had seen the sabotage from close.

"The source of the disruption is divided between Israeli land and the UNIFIL patrols, which operate in the south and use secure defense equipment," it said.

Cellular companies were investing large amounts of funds to control the disruption, the ministry said.

"The ministry stressed that it is in contact with all the relevant sources, local and international, and will continue to take the necessary technical steps to ease the disruptions," it said.

During the Second Lebanon War, cellular and satellite lines in south Lebanon were disrupted for a shaort time.

The Lebanese agencies reported that Israel Air Force planes apparently circled Lebanese skies for close to 45 minutes on Wednesday, reaching in Lebanon's Beka'a Valley.

The agency also reported movement of Israeli military vehicles along the length of the border, as well as UNIFIL aerial patrol along the same lines.