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BEIRUT (AP) — Hidden behind a large tree, an Associated Press cameraman pointed his camera at a Beirut apartment complex that warned Israeli troops were in sight.
Moments later, as missiles fell from the sky, journalists and lenses were in the perfect position to document the path of destruction, second by second, frame by frame.
“I started taking pictures because I heard the sound of missiles heading towards the building,” photographer Bilal Hussein said on Tuesday, hours after Israeli forces began their attack. Hussein’s images of projectiles frozen in flight before destroying structures provide a striking demonstration of the speed, power and devastation of modern warfare.
Tuesday’s airstrike came about 40 minutes after an Israeli military spokesperson posted a warning in Arabic on social media telling people in and around two buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate the area. Ta.
On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, a missile fired from an Israeli jet crashes into a building in Ghobeiri, Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussain)
People duck for cover after a missile fired from an Israeli military jet hits a building in Ghobeiri, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, October 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussain)
He did not explain why the buildings were targeted, other than to say they were located near “interests and facilities” associated with the Hezbollah militant group.
Following this warning, many people evacuated from crowded and populated areas, despite being monitored by others, including several journalists. The building had been evacuated by the time of the attack, and there were no reports of casualties Tuesday.
Minutes before the missile destroyed the building, two small projectiles were fired onto the roof in what the Israeli military often calls a warning strike, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene. This is a practice that Israel has followed when conducting attacks in the Gaza Strip during past wars.
As the main missile barreled toward the building on Tuesday, it was a blur, but Hussein’s camera witnessed it. One photo showed the missile arching through the air. Another camera captured the split second before it crashed through a downstairs balcony. Subsequent footage showed smoke and debris billowing outward as the building collapsed.
Hussein, who has spent years covering conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon since joining The Associated Press in 2004, said he has grown accustomed to the sound of explosions. The night before the building was destroyed, he filmed more than a dozen Israeli military attacks nearby.
“I have the ability to control my reactions in important moments and remain as stable as possible,” he said.
People watch as a building collapses after an Israeli airstrike in Ghobeiri, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, October 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussain)
People react as smoke rises from a building that was hit by an Israeli missile in Ghobeiri, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, October 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussain)
Smoke rises from a building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Ghobeiri, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, October 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussain)
