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Panic in Beirut as Israeli Warplanes Break Sound Barrier Three Times

A general view of Beirut, Lebanon August 6, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of Beirut, Lebanon August 6, 2024. (Reuters)
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Panic in Beirut as Israeli Warplanes Break Sound Barrier Three Times

A general view of Beirut, Lebanon August 6, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of Beirut, Lebanon August 6, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier three times over Beirut in less than 30 minutes on Tuesday, leading to loud booms that sent people in the city running for cover just ahead of a speech by the head of the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

Israeli warplanes flew low over the Lebanese capital, with witnesses saying they could see the planes with the naked eye. The booms were the loudest heard in Beirut in years.

One Reuters reporter saw people at a cafe in Beirut's Badaro district scatter as the sound reverberated through the city.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was set to begin an address at around 5 p.m. (1400 GMT) to mark one week since the killing of the armed group's top military commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs.

Hezbollah has promised to respond to the killing, which came just hours before the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in an operation blamed on Israel but which Israel has not confirmed or denied undertaking.

The twin killings have pushed the region to the brink of war, with Iran also vowing a painful response.

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Sudan’s Burhan Rules Out Peace Before Defeating RSF

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets his supporters in Omdurman, west of Khartoum, Sudan (File photo - AP)
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets his supporters in Omdurman, west of Khartoum, Sudan (File photo - AP)
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Sudan’s Burhan Rules Out Peace Before Defeating RSF

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets his supporters in Omdurman, west of Khartoum, Sudan (File photo - AP)
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets his supporters in Omdurman, west of Khartoum, Sudan (File photo - AP)

Sudan’s transitional Sovereign Council leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has pledged to press on with the war until the entire country is “liberated,” and vowed to eradicate what he called “the militia, their agents, and collaborators.”

He accused “colonial powers” of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with money, weapons, and mercenaries.

Speaking in Mauritania on Tuesday, Burhan said the fighting would not cease until “every inch desecrated by these criminals” is reclaimed.

He vowed to continue military operations until “all cities, villages, and rural areas in our beloved Sudan are freed,” according to a statement from the Sovereign Council’s media office.

Burhan said his country’s ties with domestic and foreign parties depend on their stance toward the ongoing war.

Burhan is on a tour of African nations, including Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Mauritania. Observers say the trip aims to restore Sudan’s African Union membership, suspended after the October 2021 coup, and rally support against the RSF.

Speaking in Mauritania, Burhan vowed to defeat the RSF, accusing them of crimes under the leadership of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, generally referred to as Hemedti, and called for unity to end his influence.

“Our message is on the battlefield, not through words, until these criminals are eliminated,” he said.

Burhan insisted peace is only possible if the RSF and their allies are removed. “We support peace, but only if these Janjaweed and their mercenaries no longer exist,” he stated.

He described the conflict as a “battle for dignity,” saying it is a fight to protect the honor and homes of Sudanese citizens.