An Israeli air strike in a densely populated area of Beirut, which killed at least 22 people, reportedly involved the use of a US-manufactured munition, according to a recent investigation by The Guardian. This strike, marking the deadliest attack on Beirut since hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel escalated over a year ago, left a building completely reduced to rubble.
Remnants of a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), a US-designed GPS-guided bomb, were discovered in the debris. JDAMs are guidance systems developed by Boeing that convert standard “dumb bombs,” which weigh up to 2,000 pounds, into precision-guided weapons. Richard Weir, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch and former US military bomb technician, verified the fragments, noting that the bolt pattern and fin shape matched the specifications of a US-made JDAM kit.
The strike and confirmation of US-made weaponry’s use in a densely populated civilian area raise serious questions about the humanitarian implications of the ongoing conflict.
