Astonishing second Israeli rocket slams into Beirut tower block earlier than it collapses in large fireball explosion

The moment an Israeli rocket triggered a total collapse of a towering apartment block in a violent explosion in Lebanon’s capital city has been captured in sickening detail.

Videos and high-resolution images showed the unmistakable silhouette of a projectile standing out against the blue skies above Beirut this morning.

The munition glided in silently and slammed into the base of the highrise in Beirut’s southern Ghobeiri neighbourhood, one of several suburbs that have been ruthlessly targeted by Israel’s warplanes in their campaign against Hezbollah. 

A split second later, the building erupted in a punishing fireball that blasted a thick cloud of black smoke and debris hundreds of feet into the air.

A huge gout of flame was seen spouting from the side of the structure as windows shattered along the street.

Moments later the building folded in on itself as though subjected to a controlled demolition, such was the force of the blast.

Another clip underscored the horror of the Lebanese citizens bearing witness to the destruction – they were seen holding their hands to their faces in shock and letting out screams in an unsettling clip circulating online.

It is the latest example of Israel’s destructive war against Hezbollah, with the Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducting incessant strikes from above while IDF troops conduct ground operations in villages close to the border.

Today’s strike that levelled the apartment block came just 50 minutes after the Israeli military called for people in the area to evacuate. 

Later in the morning, a second strike hit the Bourj al-Barajneh area of the southern suburbs.

The evacuation order posted on X by Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee warned residents ‘near facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah’ to move out, warning of imminent strikes.

‘All residents in the southern suburb area, specifically… in the Ghobeiry area, you are located near facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah,’ Adraee said in his post.

‘For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate these buildings and those adjacent to them immediately.’

His post on the social media platform included maps identifying buildings in the area near Bustan High School.

Repeated Israeli air strikes on south Beirut have led to a mass exodus of civilians, although some return during the day to check on their homes and businesses.

On Thursday, the Israeli military said it had struck around 30 targets in the southern suburbs over the past 48 hours.

The IDF described the targets as ‘command centres’ of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force and launchers used to fire rockets at Israel. 

Lebanese authorities say that more than 3,360 people have been killed since October last year when Hezbollah and Israel began engaging in cross-border clashes in the wake of the deadly attacks by its Gaza-based ally Hamas.

In addition to the human toll, the conflict has cost Lebanon more than $5 billion in economic losses, with actual structural damage amounting to billions more, the World Bank said on Thursday. 

The emergence of the shocking footage of today’s strike comes just weeks after the total eradication of another apartment block was recorded for all to see. 

In that horrific scene, a highrise in the Beirut suburb of Shayah was razed to the ground in a matter of seconds.

Close-up images showed an Israeli rocket soaring towards the building, just a few dozen feet from balconies on which unsuspecting citizens had hung washing or were growing flowers and herbs. 

A picture taken from a neighbouring building shortly after the strike showed how the apartment block was reduced to a pile of smouldering debris.  

In that scenario, Adraee had issued a warning just 40 minutes before the attack, claiming the structure contained ‘Hezbollah facilities’.

The now eradicated block stood in a heavily trafficked area across the street from a large park, which has become a refuge for many displaced families. 

It came hours after an attack killed 13 people and wounded another 57 near the Rafic Hariri Hospital, Lebanon’s biggest public health facility, located a few kilometres from the city centre, the health ministry said.

There was no evacuation warning for the area around the hospital, which is densely populated and had seen an influx of people displaced from areas further south.

The Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah target, without elaborating, and that it had not targeted the hospital itself. 

Since September 23, Israel has ramped up its air campaign in Lebanon, later sending in ground troops following almost a year of limited, cross-border exchanges begun by Hezbollah over the Gaza war.