BEIRUT – It happened in a flash, almost too fast to be seen with the naked eye, but it was perfectly captured in a rare sequence by an Associated Press photographer.
The bullet arced toward the building and then hit the lower floor as people ducked and ran. Seconds later, the building collapsed, sending a huge mushroom cloud of smoke and debris into the air.
The raid came about 40 minutes after Israel issued an evacuation warning for two buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, saying they were close to Hezbollah facilities.
This caused people to flee the area while others, including several journalists, remained on guard.
The building, located on the southern outskirts of the capital Beirut, is located in a busy, densely populated district. Israel did not say why the building was demolished, beyond an evacuation warning issued by an Israeli military spokesman who said the building was “close to Hezbollah interests and facilities.”
A few minutes before the building was demolished, there were two smaller hits to the roof, which, according to AP journalists at the scene, the Israeli military often calls warning strikes. This is a practice seen in Israeli attacks on Gaza during previous conflicts.
The weapon used in the attack resembles an Israeli bomb array wrapped around a standard warhead used for precision strikes.
The most powerful versions of the weapons system rely on a 1,000- or 2,000-pound bomb equipped with a guidance kit known as SPICE, short for Smart, Precise-Impact and Cost-Effective kits.
The Israeli manufacturer of the SPICE system, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, advertises the sets as capable of operating day and night, also in bad weather and in GPS-blocked areas. The 2,000-pound version can be launched from as far as 60 kilometers (37 miles).
The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on the type of weapon.
