F-35 stealth fighter jets were spotted over southern Lebanon and Beirut, where the Hezbollah terror group maintains a major presence, throughout the day on Monday, amid a recent uptick in reported Israeli strikes on Iranian and Iran-linked forces in nearby Syria.
As the aircraft, which were widely claimed to be Israeli, are capable of flying undetected, the decision to fly them low enough in the sky to make them clearly visible from the ground appeared to be a deliberate message to Hezbollah of Israel’s air superiority.
The Israel Defense Forces refused to comment on the report, citing its policy of not discussing air force activities.
The images of the F-35s — incorrectly identified as the less advanced F-15 fighter jet — were shared on social media by the Lebanese reporter Ali Choeib, who is widely believed to have deep ties to Hezbollah, working for the al-Manar television station, which is affiliated with the terror group.
According to Choeib, several Israeli fighter jets flew a number of times into Lebanese airspace throughout the day, reaching at one point at least as far as Beirut.
Lebanon routinely accuses Israel of flying jets through its airspace in violation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War. Israel maintains that it is forced to fly its aircraft over Lebanon in order to track and prevent the illegal activities of Hezbollah, which the Lebanese government is supposed to keep in check under the same resolution.
It was at least the second time that the advanced fighter jet was captured on film flying over Beirut. In the first case, Israel photographed the aircraft as it flew over the Lebanese capital in 2018, displaying the image to visiting foreign air force commanders. The photograph was then leaked to Channel 12 news, which aired it.
Monday’s F-35 flyby came as Israel reportedly stepped up its attacks on Iran-affiliated sites in next-door Syria, where Tehran is allegedly attempting to build up a permanent military presence and transferring weapons to its proxies in the region, notably Hezbollah. READ MORE
