An explosion rocked the Lebanese capital just as Israel was bombing Syrian targets.
The blast was the result of an ‘Israeli drone attack’ in which one UAV crashed and another prematurely exploded, Hezbollah said.
A small drone failed to detonate and crashed in the southern suburb of Beirut, while a second drone exploded near the militant group’s media center, damaging the building, a Hezbollah spokesperson told news agencies. No casualties were reported from the incidents, which the organization immediately blamed on Israel.
اذا صح الكلام، طائرة MK التابعة للعدو الاسرائيلي سقطت في معوض، #الضاحية_الجنوبية
ف مبروك، وأخيراً بعد الإزعاج اليومي..#بيروت #لبنان pic.twitter.com/Cd48BLHg8a— Yumna Fawaz (@yumnafawaz) August 24, 2019
Pictures surfaced online showing debris resembling a quad-copter similar to drones used by Israel for surveillance and the deployment of tear gas in Gaza border clashes. Israel has yet to confirm carrying out any operations against Hezbollah.
Another photo shared by @MohamadMajed7 of the allegedly #Israel|i?? #drone that fell in the #Hezbollah-dominated Dahieh.#Lebanon?? #Iran?? #Iraq?? #Syria?? pic.twitter.com/ZqKeuj62np
— Hezbollah Watch® (@HezbollahWatch) August 25, 2019
Hours earlier, however, the IDF admitted to carrying out a raid in Syria, claiming it had targeted Iranian-linked forces ironically suspected of planning a “large-scale attack of multiple killer drones.”
Footage of the crowds that had gathered near the site of the explosion in Dahieh, presumably due to the shooting down of an #Israel|i?? #drone over the area.
Via @MohamadMajed7 #Lebanon?? #Iran?? #Iraq?? #Syria??pic.twitter.com/p2uMnikcyt
— Hezbollah Watch® (@HezbollahWatch) August 25, 2019