Israeli aircraft drops leaflets over Beirut, causing panic

Several loud detonations were heard across Beirut neighborhoods as an Israeli aircraft dropped thousands of leaflets over Beirut on Friday, causing panic in the heart of the Lebanese capital, which has been targeted several times by Israel in recent days.

AFP correspondents and witnesses contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour heard four explosions within a few minute time-span, before seeing swarms of leaflets scattered across the sky.

According to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), the noises were "caused by Israeli aircraft flying at very low altitude, as they dropped printed material over several areas," including Verdun and Hamra in west Beirut.

The leaflets, addressed in Arabic to the Lebanese people, urge them to "disarm Hezbollah, Iran's shield." "Lebanon is up to your decision and nobody else's," reads the leaflet.

The text says that "Unit 504 of the Israeli army is working to ensure the future of Lebanon and its people," referring to a unit of Israeli military intelligence. Two QR codes also appear on these leaflets.

The Lebanese army quickly responded by warning citizens against scanning the QR codes. In a statement, it said the codes "lead to a link on WhatsApp and another on Facebook to communicate with Unit 504 of the Israeli army, which is responsible for recruiting agents." The army command "warns citizens of the danger of scanning these codes and accessing these links," raising concerns about "legal liability, a security risk," and the possibility of "phone hacking and access to personal data."

The 1955 Lebanese Law on the Boycott of Israel prohibits any interaction between Lebanese and Israelis. It forbids any individual or entity from contacting Israelis or persons residing in Israel, and bans all commercial, financial, or other transactions. The penalty for violating this law is three to ten years of hard labor.

Israeli army's dissemination of leaflets is part of a psychological warfare strategy aimed at influencing the morale and behavior of civilian populations. This type of tactic has already been used by Israel in previous conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza.