Explosive-laden drones targeted precision missile tech in Beirut - report
Group says drone had 5.5 kilo of C4 explosives; Hezbollah militants killed in Israeli strike on Syria were childhood friends.
By ANNA AHRONHEIMParts of a drone which fell on Beirut on August 25, 2019. (photo credit: ARAB MEDIA)
The two drones which crashed in the Lebanese capital of Beirut targeted crates with machinery to mix high-grade propellent for precision guided missiles, read a report by The Times.According to intelligence sources quoted in the report, the Iranian-made mixer which was regarded as one of the key parts of precision missile technology was seriously damaged and the computerized control mechanism which was in a separate crate was totally destroyed in the blast.According to Hezbollah the two drones which fell in the group’s stronghold neighborhood of Dahiya were both armed with 5.5 kilos of C4 explosives.“After the Islamic Resistance’s specialized experts inspected and dismantled the first drone, it was clear that it was laden with a bomb which was professionally wrapped and isolated,” Hezbollah said in a statement.“We confirm that it was not on a reconnaissance mission, and that its target was to carry out a suicide attack, exactly like the second drone,” the statement continued.The city was “subjected to a raid carried out by two drones: the first came down due to a technical failure while the second exploded.”Hezbollah spokesman Muhammad Afif said Sunday that one Israeli drone exploded and caused significant damage to the group’s media office, wounding three people. The other drone crashed shortly afterwards, causing no damage.
Damage and glass from broken windows is seen inside Hezbollah media center after a drone fell in the Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs and a second one exploded near the ground in Dahiyeh suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon August 25, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Alleged video from the scene released on social media showed one of the drones hovering over a parking lot, possibly waiting for a target.
#BREAKING: #Hezbollah's al-Manar reporting that the drone that crashed in #Beirut's #Dahiyeh had a package that contained 5.5 kilos of C4 explosives. Group says both drones were sent for an explosive attack and not reconnaissance. pic.twitter.com/yBy3rJna3u
The announcement by Hezbollah comes after several reports accused Israel of attacking Lebanon with drones over the past two days in the first such “hostile action” by Israel in Lebanon since the 2006 Second Lebanese War.The IDF has remained mum on the subject, saying that it does not comment on foreign reports.Israel did take responsibility for striking an Iranian position south of the Syrian capital of Damascus, killing two Hezbollah militants and one Iranian planning to attack northern Israel with armed drones.The two men, Hassan Youssef Zbeeb and Yasser Ahmad Daher, were reported by Hezbollah’s al-Manar website as having been childhood friends and were killed “while they were performing their duty.”According to the report, they were both sons of employees at al-Manar and both studied civil engineering at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in Iran. They were buried in Al-Hawraa Zeinab cemetery in Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday, amid a large turnout of party supporters.“What happened in Syria and Lebanon last night is very, very dangerous,” Nasrallah said in a speech Sunday night, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “would be mistaken if he thinks that this issue can go unnoticed.“The time at which Israeli war jets used to strike targets in Lebanon while the usurping entity in Palestine kept safe has ended,” Nasrallah continued. “From tonight, I tell the Israeli army on the border, wait for our response, which may take place at any time on the border and beyond the border. Be prepared and wait for us.”
