Hezbollah said two of its operatives were killed in an air raid before the attack

A suspected Israeli drone attack on a Hezbollah site in Beirut targeted crates believed to contain machinery to mix high-grade propellant for precision missiles, The Times has learnt.

The previously unexplained “suicide drone” attack, if confirmed, risks a significant escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed militias across the Middle East, with Hezbollah already threatening retaliation.

Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said two drones were involved in the attack in southern Beirut, one of which exploded, causing minor damage to a Hezbollah office building. The other was allegedly “brought down by local youths throwing stones” but was also found to contain explosives.

However, western intelligence sources said a storage facility near the building contained a high-end “industrial planetary mixer”, a machine that is necessary