Lebanon Capital Trembles In Panic As Israeli Fighter Jets Break Sound Barrier, Cause Sonic Booms

Israel Fighter Jets Beirut:  Sonic booms blasted thrice by Israeli warplanes over Beirut in less than 30 minutes left the city shaking with people running in covers minutes ahead of a speech by Nasrallah, the head of the powerful Iran-backed group Hezbollah. The Israeli warplanes crossed the Lebanese capital multiple times, flying very low, with eyewitnesses claiming they could see the jets very closely with their naked eyes.

People at a cafe in Beirut's Badaro district scatter as the sound reverberates through the city, news agency Reuters reported.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was scheduled to begin an address at around 5 pm (1400 GMT) to commemorate one week since the killing of the Lebanese armed group's top military commander, Fuad Shukr, in an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs.

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Hezbollah has vowed to respond to the killing, which occurred just hours before the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran—an operation blamed on Israel, though Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement. The twin killings have escalated tensions in the region, with Iran also promising a severe response.

Meanwhile, Hassan Nasrallah mourned the death of Fuad Shuk, saying that his loss was a 'great one' but this does not shake us.

"We acknowledge the loss of Fuad Shukr was a great one, but this does not shake us at all. Recent developments show the true goal of Netanyahu's extremist regime is uprooting Palestinians from Gaza," he said.

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"Netanyahu does not want a ceasefire, insists on killing as many Palestinians as possible," he said, adding that "Israel seeks to annex the West Bank, says there is nothing Palestinian in this world."