Israeli missile landing on a building in Beirut on Oct. 22. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Israel used a Spice 2000 missile in an attack that targeted a building in the neighborhood of Tayyouneh in Beirut on Tuesday, missiles expert Shaan Shaikh from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) told L'Orient Today.
The violent Israeli airstrike levelled a ten-story building on Tuesday afternoon. It was not immediately clear whether the strike caused any casualties.
The building seemed to have been evacuated after a warning message published on X by the Israeli army Arabic speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee.
A picture of Tuesday's missile, shared by AFP, matches the Spice bombs featured in a Wall Street Journal video titled "Why the U.S. is sending Spice bombs to Israel", which was published around seven months ago.
The Spice 2000 kit “can be attached to a variety of 2,000-pound unguided aerial bombs, turning them into highly precise munitions", says Patrick Senft, a research coordinator at Armament Research Services (ARES) in an interview with CNN. Explosives expert and former US Army senior explosive ordnance disposal team member, Trevor Ball, also agreed it had been used in the strike.
According to Israeli defense technology company, Advanced Defense Systems, Spice (Smart, Precise-Impact and Cost-Effective) 2000 missiles have a stand-off range of 60 kilometers, a Circular Error of Probability (CEP) of 3 meters and a blast fragmentation or penetration warhead.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in a conflict for more than a year in parallel with the war in Gaza between Hamas and the Israeli army. At least 2,546 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since last October, according to the Ministry of Health.