A shocking video has been circulating on social media platforms, capturing the exact moments when an Israeli missile struck a building in Beirut. The footage shows the missile hitting the structure, causing its destruction within seconds. The attack sent shockwaves through the nearby area, leaving people in a state of shock and disbelief.
Bilal Hussein, an Associated Press photographer, also documented the moment using his camera.He sought shelter behind a large tree and aimed his lens at a Beirut apartment building that the Israeli military had warned was targeted.
“I heard the sound of the missile whistling, headed toward the building and then I started filming,” Hussein recounted on Tuesday, just hours after the Israeli forces launched the attack.
The images he captured, showing the projectile frozen in mid-flight before it obliterated the building, provide a striking visual representation of the speed, power, and devastation of modern warfare.
Approximately 40 minutes before the strike, an Israeli military spokesman posted a warning in Arabic on social media, advising people in and around two buildings on the southern outskirts of Beirut to evacuate the area. The spokesman did not provide a specific reason for targeting the buildings, only saying that they were near “interests and facilities” associated with the Hezbollah militant group.
The warning prompted many residents to flee the busy and densely populated neighbourhood, while some, including a few journalists, remained to observe. By the time the attack occurred, the building had been evacuated, and no casualties were reported on Tuesday.
Just before the primary missile struck the building, two smaller projectiles were fired at the roof, a practice Israel’s military often refers to as warning strikes, according to AP journalists at the scene. This tactic has been used by Israel during past wars in Gaza.
Hussein, who has been covering conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon since joining the AP in 2004, has become accustomed to the sounds of explosions. The night before the building was destroyed, he filmed more than a dozen Israeli strikes nearby.
“I have the ability to control my reactions in critical moments and maintain stability as much as possible,” he said, reflecting on his experience as a seasoned conflict photographer.