Israeli warplanes break sound barrier over Beirut: media

Published March 20, 2026 Updated March 20, 2026 03:38pm

An Israeli warplane broke the sound barrier over Beirut in the morning, state media said, as AFP journalists heard loud booms reverberate across the city and in distant mountains.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency said “a strong sonic boom, in two successive waves, shook the skies over Beirut and its suburbs” on the morning of Eidul Fitr.

The incident set social media abuzz.

“On a day without shelling — so far — the Israelis are greeting the people of Beirut and its suburbs with two sonic booms,” one internet user, Salah Halawi, wrote on X.

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