Beirut, Lebanon – 26-year-old Eliah Kaylough was struck by fear when he heard a thundering crash just before he was about to start his shift as a waiter on the bustling Gemmayze Street in Beirut. On Tuesday, he was startled by the sound of a powerful explosion that immediately reminded him of the massive port explosion in 2020, and the fear that the city was under attack gripped him. When Kaylough left the restaurant, a man from a nearby shop stopped him and explained that Beirut was not being bombed. The sound turned out to be a sonic boom, a noise that occurs when an object travels faster than the speed of sound. Since October 7 of last year, following an attack on southern Israel by Hamas, Israeli jets have frequently triggered sonic booms over Lebanon, but the recent blasts were among the loudest heard in Beirut.
“The sound was terrifying, and I really thought we were under attack,” Kaylough said, recalling how he grabbed his hat and bag, ready to close up shop. “It was my first time hearing a sonic boom, because they are usually set off in other parts of the country.”
The conflict between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel has escalated in intensity since October. On Friday, Israel intensified its attacks, killing Hamas officer Samer al-Hajj in a drone strike on the coastal city of Sidon, approximately 50 km from Lebanon’s southern border. According to analyses and residents, sonic booms are used by Israel as a psychological warfare tactic to intimidate the civilian population.
Ramzi Kaiss, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, expressed concern about the use of sonic booms, which cause significant fear among civilians. “Parties in armed conflicts should not use methods of intimidation against a civilian population,” Kaiss stated.
The sonic booms heard earlier in the week came just two days after the anniversary of the explosion at Beirut’s port on August 4, 2020, which killed over 200 people and injured thousands. The sound was triggered just before Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was scheduled to give a speech, and tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified after Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander. Lawrence Abu Hamdan, an acoustic expert and founder of Earshot, pointed out that Israel has repeatedly violated Lebanese airspace to instill fear among the population.
“There have been more than 22,000 Israeli airspace violations in Lebanon since the ceasefire in 2006,” Abu Hamdan said. “The use of sonic booms has become an acoustic reminder that Israel can turn Lebanon into Gaza at any moment.”
Resident Rana Farhat, 28, recounted how these frightening tactics achieve the desired effect. She remembered how her family was shocked when they heard the sound of the explosion during dinner in a nearby town. “We checked all the news to find out what was happening,” she said, pointing out how children in the restaurant were also scared.
Abu Hamdan warned that the repeated sounds of planes and explosions could re-traumatize populations that have survived previous disasters. Medical studies suggest that such sounds can increase the risk of strokes and negatively impact heart health.
Kaylough, who has also experienced trauma from the port explosion, feels that sonic booms bring back painful memories. “The sound of the sonic boom took me back to the days of the explosion,” he said as he tried to shake off the terrifying experience.
Farhat believes that Israel’s intimidation tactics will not drive her away from her homeland. “They are just trying to scare us, but I see it as a sign of weakness,” she said firmly. “No matter what happens, I do not want to leave my home.”