Israel Attacks Beirut Building with SPICE 2000 Bomb

Israel struck a building in Beirut, Lebanon, with a SPICE 2000 bomb. Because of the bomb's capacity for destruction and the continuing fighting in the area, this occurrence has garnered attention. According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah facilities were located in the structure. Israel advised locals to leave the area before to the attack.

SPICE 2000 Bomb Overview

The term "smart bomb," refers to a guided bomb

• Israel: Manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, a government owned company in Israel
• SPICE Guidance System–Guides bombs toward the target using GPS and electro-optical guidance systems.
• The bomb must be launched from no more than 60 kilometers away from its intended target.
• Considered to be a high lethality and low collateral damage weapon that can operate very well in different conditions.
• The model likely employed in Beirut is thought to have a sort of delayed-action fuse, restricting fragmentation and collateral damage.

Israel's Military Strategy

• That tactic in Israeli parlance is called "knock on the roof" — indicative of smaller prestrikes before a righteous slaughter.
• Rafael signed an MoU with Lockheed Martin in 2019 to market and produce SPICE guidance kits for the U.S.
• October 2023 — U.S. state department clears export of more SPICE bomb components to Israel

Worry About Civilian Casualties

• Some are first-response worry about SPICE bombs pressure loss of life.
• It is not yet certain where SPICE bomb guidance kits were sourced from.

Impact of the Recent Strike

• Latest of all has been the Beirut bombing, which intensifies the narrative already playing out across the region about what advanced weaponry such as the SPICE bomb meant for everything.