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Israeli warplanes

buzz Beirut,

south Lebanon

BEIRUT: Israeli warplanes on Tuesday flew over the capital and areas of south Lebanon drawing heavy anti-aircraft fire from army positions, correspondents said.

Jetfighters flew at high altitude over Beirut's mostly Muslim southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, drawing anti-aircraft fire from army troops deployed around the defense ministry, they said.

Earlier Israeli warplanes buzzed the southern port of Tyre drawing heavy fire from army troops in the coastal city. They made similar sorties over Nabatiyeh further north.

It was the second consecutive day of Israeli air activity over Beirut and south Lebanon and coincided with renewed anti-Israeli attacks in the south. Police in south Lebanon reported two separate attacks on an Israeli outpost in Israel's self-declared "security zone" along the border and on a patrol of the Israeli-financed South Lebanon Army (SLA) militia.

The SLA confirmed one of the attacks and said there were no casualties. No group immediately claimed responsibility.-AFP