Lebanon Debates Mysterious Israeli Tank Firing Light Beams

Lebanese bloggers and journalists have been discussing a video for two days showing an Israeli tank near the village of Zutar al-Sharqiya, with bright flashes emanating from its turret attracting attention. The video was first published on X (formerly Twitter) on September 8 by Muhammad Shreim, who suggested the Israeli military might be using a laser to blind surveillance cameras. As the video gained traction, other theories emerged, including the system being used for threat detection or combating drones.

Israeli Channel Kan-11 reported, with military censor approval, that the tank in the video is an "Aryeh" ("Lion") tank, information about which was recently declassified. About a year ago, details were permitted for publication regarding the introduction of this specialized vehicle into the IDF's armored corps, noting its capabilities include enemy detection systems. The report also suggested that the appearance of the flashes in the video could be partly attributed to the camera's shooting conditions and exposure settings.