A Lebanese Middle East airplane landed at Rafik Hariri International airport on Thursday, marking the lifting of an Israeli air blockade against Lebanon, airport sources said.

The commercial flight from Paris carrying 150 passengers touched down at 6:11 p.m. (1511 GMT), 11 minutes after the blockade was set to be lifted, according to the sources.

Before its landing, the flight circled over downtown Beirut declaring the lifting of Israeli blockade, according to Lebanese National News Agency.

Israel also confirmed the end of the aerial blockade on Lebanon on Thursday, but said that the planned end to a siege on sea ports has been postponed for 48 hours.

In order to prevent the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah from rearming, Israel imposed the air, land and sea blockade shortly after the 34-day war against Hezbollah erupted on July 12.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2006)