Israel ramps up psychological warfare on Lebanon with drone broadcasts

An Israeli drone equipped with a loudspeaker flew over southern Lebanon late on Thursday blasting messages which called on the residents to "turn against Hezbollah", local media reported on Friday.

The drone flew over the town of Bint Jbeil playing an audio recording that urged the residents of the town to "blame Hezbollah and [its Secretary-General] Hassan Nasrallah" for the attacks on southern Lebanon, according to videos posted online.

Residents of neighbouring towns also said they heard the drone broadcasts.

Despite footage of the broadcasts circulating online, the mayors of Bint Jbeil and the nearby towns told the French language daily L'Orient-Le Jour that they did not see a drone nor hear any broadcasts.

Since the cross-border attacks began in October 2023 between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has intensified its psychological warfare on Lebanon.

In recent weeks, Israeli fighter jets have repeatedly broken the sound barrier over Lebanon, causing loud explosions that have spread panic among civilians.

Videos circulated online last week showing scenes of panic and distress following powerful sonic booms from Israeli jets flying at low altitude across the country, including over Beirut Airport and shopping centres.

On Monday, the country's Building Safety Network confirmed instances of broken windows and collapsed ceilings resulting from the powerful sonic booms.

The move has prompted Beirut to issue guidance to its citizens on how to mitigate damage and injury from Israel's breaking of the sound barrier - instances of which have been reported on an almost daily basis since last week.

The head of the Building Safety Network, Youssef Fawzi Azzam, advised citizens to keep windows and glass doors ajar to release sound pressure, in comments carried by the state news agency NNA.

Azzam also stressed the importance of "psychological preparation" for children, by explaining the reason for sonic booms "scientifically".