JERUSALEM (AP) — In all but the blink of an eye, an Associated Press photographer’s camera captured the moments that a battleship-gray Israeli bomb plummeted toward a Beirut building before detonating to bring the tower down.
The airstrike came 40 minutes after Israel warned people to evacuate two buildings in the area that it said were located near Hezbollah warehouses and assets. The site was not far from where a spokesperson for the militant group had just briefed journalists.
It was a rare glimpse into the use of one of the most powerful bombs in Israel’s arsenal.
What kind of weapon was it?
An examination by independent arms researchers suggests the weapon was a guided bomb, also known as a smart bomb, launched from an Israeli jet.
The tail fin and nose sections indicate this was a 2,000-pound warhead fitted with an Israeli-made guidance kit known as SPICE, according to Richard Weir, a senior conflict, crisis and arms…