Lasers diverge, not converge. Source is on the ground at the flash, not up in the sky. The beam is diverging away from the source…the flash. It's a transformer blowing up and reflecting off of an intermediate surface like a lens or lens cover.
Have it your way. Somebody with the resources to put a giant magnifying glass into space chooses to use to blow a Chilean power transformer as a display of power…by blowing up something that regularly blows up in exactly the same way. I see your point. /picrel/