US Scrambles to Investigate Bomb That Failed to Explode in Beirut
the English section of webangah news Agency, citing Mehr News Agency via Al Jazeera, reports that according to Israeli media, the United States has requested that Lebanon promptly return a “GBU-39” bomb dropped by Israel on Beirut that failed to explode.
According to the Jerusalem Post, this unexploded bomb was used days ago by the Israeli military in an operation targeting Hezbollah military commander haitham Ali Al-Tabatabai but did not detonate.
US Concerns Over Russian adn Chinese Access to Bomb
The newspaper cited Lebanese reports stating that US officials are worried this device might fall into Russian or Chinese hands.
Separately, Hebrew-language Maariv cited informed sources revealing that the bomb is a GBU-39 B small-diameter smart gliding munition manufactured by Boeing. the Israeli air Force used it in its strike against Haitham Ali Al-Tabatabai at Hezbollah’s base in southern Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood.
Maariv reported that for unknown reasons, the bomb failed to explode and remained relatively intact at the attack site. This has intensified Washington’s fears regarding other countries’ potential possession-specifically Moscow or beijing-of advanced US military technology.
The publication added that this weapon combines an extremely effective warhead relative to its weight with specialized guidance systems and technologies currently unavailable to Russia or China.
No official comments have been made yet by either Lebanese or American authorities regarding this request.
As last October, Israel’s military has escalated attacks on Lebanon. A few days ago it assassinated Haitham Al-Tabatabai, a senior Hezbollah commander-a move considered a violation of their ceasefire agreement.
Key Features of Controversial Bomb
The GBU-39 is a US-made precision-guided air-to-ground bomb developed in the late 1990s. Built by Boeing, it entered active service in the early 2000s.This “smart” munition is designed for internal target destruction with minimal collateral damage around it.
Its low weight and highly effective blast allow aircraft to carry more smart bombs per sortie. It excels at penetrating fortified positions such as military bunkers, depots, concrete shelters, certain urban areas, and high-value targets-destroying them from within efficiently.
The weapon resembles a small missile; it weighs approximately 250 pounds (around 113 kilograms) and measures about 1.8 meters long. It offers high accuracy upon impact while minimizing unintended damage nearby.
