Israeli warplanes flew low over Beirut on Tuesday, causing a series of sonic booms that rattled windows across the Lebanese capital. This happened just minutes before the head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah was set to deliver an address.
Residents hurried to open their windows to prevent the glass from shattering or stood on their balconies to catch sight of the planes flying overhead, as the loud booms echoed across the city. The Israeli military did not comment on the incident.
In Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, members and supporters gathered to watch a televised speech by their leader, marking one week since Israel killed a senior commander.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah claimed that the sonic booms were meant to provoke those attending the memorial.
This strike, which destroyed commander Fuad Shukr, was the second Israeli attack on the area in 10 months amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, occurring alongside the Gaza conflict.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah reported launching a swarm of attack drones at two military sites near Acre in northern Israel and targeting an Israeli military vehicle elsewhere.
The Israeli military confirmed that several hostile drones from Lebanon were detected, with one intercepted.
Medical officials reported that seven people were hospitalized south of Nahariya, with one in critical condition.
The Israeli military’s initial investigation revealed that the injuries resulted from an interceptor missile that “missed the target and struck the ground, injuring several civilians”.
The incident remains under review. Reuters journalists observed an impact site near a bus stop outside Nahariya.
The military also reported that sirens around Acre were a false alarm and confirmed that its air force targeted two Hezbollah facilities in southern Lebanon.
Rising fears of a full-blown war in the Middle East are fueled by Hezbollah’s threats of retaliation for Shukr’s killing and Iran’s vow to respond to the recent assassination of the head of Hamas in Tehran.
A Hezbollah source stated that the response to the assassination of commander Fuad Shukr has yet to occur.
A strike on a residence in Mayfadoun, Lebanon, about 30 km (19 miles) north of the border, resulted in the deaths of four Hezbollah fighters earlier on Tuesday, according to medics and a security source.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: UN World Food Programme struggles, raising Just 20% of needed funds for Southern Africa drought response