Syrian media quoted Israel’s Maariv newspaper reporting that the United States has urgently asked the Lebanese government to return an advanced “smart” missile that Israel launched toward Beirut’s southern suburbs but did not explode—out of concern that its secrets could leak to Russia or China.
The report cites anonymous sources saying the weapon in question is a GBU-39B smart glide bomb manufactured by Boeing. It was used by the Israeli Air Force in the strike targeting Haitham Ali Tabatabai, described as Hezbollah’s chief of staff, inside the organization’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
According to the report, although the bomb was launched as part of the assassination mission, it did not detonate for reasons still unclear and remained relatively intact at the strike site. This triggered immediate concern in Washington that other actors—especially Russia or China—might access it and learn from its technology.
The bomb reportedly contains an “exceptionally efficient” warhead relative to its weight, along with advanced guidance systems and technology not currently available to Moscow or Beijing. For this reason, retrieving it has become a “top priority” for the United States.