On Sunday, Israeli Air Force F-15 fighters zipped over Saida, the third-largest city in Lebanon, while breaking the sound barrier. The sonic boom created by the fast, low-flying Israeli warplanes caused the foundations of buildings to shake and broke windows, Lebanese security officials told Reuters.
Beirut is in the process of writing a complaint to the UN Security Council for "causing material, moral and sovereign damage,"Gebran Bassil, the Lebanese Foreign Minister said via Twitter Sunday. The Lebanese Prime Minister’s office, meanwhile, accused Tel Aviv of "planting spy devices on Lebanese land," according to a statement.
While it’s not unusual for IAF planes to enter Lebanese skies, what made the most recent fly-over unique was how low the jets flew.
On September 4, Israeli Defense Forces initiated a 10-day military training drill to prepare for a potential war with Hezbollah, a Shi’ite Islamist paramilitary and political group in Lebanon. The drills are IDF’s largest war simulation exercise in almost 20 years.
During the first week of May Israeli jets carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah forces, Sputnik reported, leading analysts to believe the IDF might open up a larger offensive.
