F-35s seen flying over southern Lebanon, Beirut in apparent threat by Israel
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.
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.
Israel is particularly concerned about Iran transporting advanced, precision-guided missiles, which the military sees as a serious threat to the country, to Hezbollah through Syria.
On Monday, the Israeli Air Force gave the Kan broadcaster the audio recordings from one of the airstrikes it conducted in Syria over the past year. The air force did not specify when.
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