{
  "id": 9335277,
  "title": "Spate of rock-throwing attacks adds to security fears in Beirut",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/spate-of-rock-throwing-attacks-adds-to-security-fears-in-beirut-9335277",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T12:22:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/09/23/spate-of-rock-throwing-attacks-adds-to-security-fears-in-beirut/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A series of rock-throwing incidents are fueling security concerns in Beirut, Lebanon's capital. A particularly notorious attack resulted in the death of Muhammad Hamza, who was killed when a rock was thrown at him while driving on a road near Beirut's airport. This attack is part of a series of such incidents in the Lebanese capital, which has many tunnels and bridges connecting central Beirut to the international airport, the southern suburbs, and the south of the country.\n\nTaxi drivers report a growing sense of fear as they navigate the airport road, which they traverse several times a day. \"For the last week, I've been dreading the airport road,\" one driver said. \"Every time I passed by, I would look and check if there was anyone on the bridge to avoid the rocks.\" The new tactic involves attackers hiding behind a large tree and hurling rocks and eggs at passing cars, particularly at night. The attackers then feign help while checking for bags and expensive phones.\n\nThe chief suspect in Mr. Hamza's killing has been arrested by Lebanon's Internal Security Forces. Footage released by the ISF shows two plainclothes officers with the detained man, who appears to mimic the act of pushing a rock from the bridge. The ISF claims the suspect, a Lebanese citizen born in 1998 who works in scrap collection, has carried out similar attacks before. After the fatal attack, the suspect shaved his beard in an attempt to evade capture.\n\nAlthough the arrest is a relief, taxi drivers express hope that the attacks will cease entirely. \"I hope it will stop. My car is my only business, if anything happens, it would be a disaster,\" one driver told The National. Even now that the suspect has been captured, the driver still checks for assailants near the bridge.",
  "summary": "The images are stark: a car's front windscreen smashed, with a rock bigger than a football lying on the front seat. The attack that killed Muhammad Hamza while he was driving on Beirut 's airport road – where an assailant hurled the rock from a bridge – is the most notorious of a spate of such incidents in Lebanon 's capital. It adds to a sense of lawlessness on the motorway, which has many…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Spate of rock-throwing attacks adds to security fears in Beirut",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/spate-of-rock-throwing-attacks-adds-to-security-fears-in-beirut",
        "published": "2026-09-23T12:22:11.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}