(September 27, 2024)

Elijah Magnier, a military analyst, says the ordnance used by Israel in its latest attack on Beirut is a “very new type of bomb” – the GBU-72.

The weapon is “an advanced 5,000-pound [2,200kg] bunker buster that was created in 2021”, Magnier told Al Jazeera.

The bomb has not been used in the past for the “same objective”, he said, suggesting Israel wanted to “confirm the kill and wanted to make sure nobody is going to be alive”.

It was dropped with a fraction of delay, which allowed the bomb to reach the bunker under the ground and bring down entire structures, Maginer explained.