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[VIDEOS] Beirut explosion - Lebanon PM Hassan Diab resigns amid anger over Beirut blast [Post#79]

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Abdullah719

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BEIRUT: A massive explosion shook Beirut on Tuesday wounding a number people and causing widespread damage.

The afternoon blast shook several parts of the capital and thick smoke billowed from the city center. Residents reported windows being blown out and a false ceilings dropping.

The explosion appeared to be centered around Beirut’s port and caused wide scale destruction and shattered windows miles away.

Videos showed a huge explosion and massive shockwave. People could be heard screaming and running from restaurants and their homes.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1714671/middle-east

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Explosion in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Beirut?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Beirut</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lebanon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Lebanon</a> - view from Annahar building. Praying for everyone’s safety 🙏🏼😓 <a href="https://t.co/Zf6fXaahUq">pic.twitter.com/Zf6fXaahUq</a></p>— Fady Roumieh (@FadyRoumieh) <a href="https://twitter.com/FadyRoumieh/status/1290672517733064705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Footage of the Explosion in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Beirut?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Beirut</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lebanon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Lebanon</a> a few minutes ago. Praying for the safety of everyone. <a href="https://t.co/6Q3y6A6DxL">pic.twitter.com/6Q3y6A6DxL</a></p>— Fady Roumieh (@FadyRoumieh) <a href="https://twitter.com/FadyRoumieh/status/1290669185715118086?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another video of the explosion at Beirut Port <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%A5%D9%86%D9%81%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B1_%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#إنفجار_بيروت</a> <a href="https://t.co/mg2BQ0uj3u">pic.twitter.com/mg2BQ0uj3u</a></p>— Mohammad Hijazi (@mhijazi) <a href="https://twitter.com/mhijazi/status/1290675030561566720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is a video filmed by someone who was standing on his balcony close to the port of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Beirut?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Beirut</a>. <br><br>First you see big plumes of smoke followed by small explosions on ground level and finally an enormous explosion. <br><br>I hope the person who filmed this is safe. <a href="https://twitter.com/akhbar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@akhbar</a> <a href="https://t.co/SMd94oreYO">pic.twitter.com/SMd94oreYO</a></p>— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) <a href="https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa/status/1290678590133030918?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Oh God.
 
Beirut blast: Explosion rocks city ahead of Hariri verdict

A large blast has hit the Lebanese capital, Beirut, ahead of the verdict in a trial over the killing of ex-PM Rafik Hariri in 2005.

Reports say the explosion was in the port area of the city, with unconfirmed reports of a second blast. The authorities fear many casualties.

Video posted online showed a large mushroom cloud and extensive damage.

A UN tribunal is due to issue its verdict in the trial of four suspects in the murder by car bomb of Hariri.

All four are members of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, which has consistently denied any role in Hariri's death. The verdict is due on Friday.

The possible second explosion was reported to be at the Hariri residence in the city.

Lebanon's health minister has spoken of many injuries and extensive damage.

Local media showed people trapped beneath rubble. A witness described the first explosion as deafening.

The cause of the blast is not yet clear.

The latest reports come amid political tension in Lebanon, with street demonstrations against the government's handling the worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-53656220
 
That was insane, never seen even on video something like that.
 
what it could be a big oil tanker explosion or it felt like some nuclear test, that's much insane it looks.
 
Never seen an explosion like this for real. Hoping for safety of all over there. This is insane.
 
I think there is more to it than a fireworks factory

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 50%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/4lwp1z" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
Inna lillahi wa inna ilahyi raajioon. Thought the video was showing the aftermath of the incident. Wasn't ready for that at all
 
I think a fuel dump in the port could be responsible.

2020, wow.
 
Explosion 'caused by highly explosive material stored in warehouse': Official

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reporting from Beirut said the head of General Security, General Abbas Ibrahim, visited the site of the explosion and said it appears the explosion was caused by highly explosive material that was stored in a warehouse.

According to Ibrahim, the explosive material was confiscated years ago.

"We are at the entrance of Beirut's port, you can see behind me the chaos. Ambulances continue to arrive, continue to evacuate the casualties," Khodr said.

"So far according to security sources, at least 10 people have been killed, but we are expecting that number to rise because we understand from the health minister as well as the Lebanese Red Cross that there has been hundreds of injuries.

"Ambulances have been called from across the country to help in the rescue effort. It was a massive explosion; you can see the fire trucks arriving at the scene trying to put out the flame."
 
The aftermath of the explosion

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 50%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/dozumy" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
Israeli sabotage of an Iranian/Hezbollah munitions storage facility.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Beirut explosion is in area known to be used by Hezbollah for its long-range precision-guided missile project, which Israel publicly calls a red line. I have no specific knowledge, but would be surprised if explosives that detonated were not associated w/ that project. 1/</p>— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoahPollak/status/1290686124982071297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
cric_man said:
Israeli sabotage of an Iranian/Hezbollah munitions storage facility.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Beirut explosion is in area known to be used by Hezbollah for its long-range precision-guided missile project, which Israel publicly calls a red line. I have no specific knowledge, but would be surprised if explosives that detonated were not associated w/ that project. 1/</p>— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoahPollak/status/1290686124982071297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Click to expand...

They kept so many explosives in city limits?
 
At least 10 people have been killed in a huge explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut, officials have said.

The country's health minister Hamad Hasan said there are a "high number of injuries", according to local news station LBC.

It reported the Hotel Dieu hospital is treating more than 500 people but cannot take any more and is appealing for blood donations.

Some residents are still trapped in their homes, the Lebanese Red Cross charity also warned.

Footage posted on social media showed the moment a building several storeys high exploded, sending a vast shockwave across the city.

Pictures also showed a scene of devastation with cars upturned and emergency crews gathered around the gutted building.

The explosion appeared to be centred around the city's port area containing warehouses, and rippled through several areas of the capital.

Lebanon's internal security chief Abbas Ibrahim said it happened in a building containing highly-explosive materials, according to news agency NNA. Earlier reports had suggested the building was a fireworks storage warehouse.

Witnesses said a number of people were injured during the widespread destruction across the city, with residents reporting collapsed ceilings and shattered windows.

A huge column of smoke was seen rising over the city following the explosion.

Wounded people were seen on the ground near Beirut's port, according to a photographer at the scene.

The cause of the blast was not immediately clear.

Sky News's Middle East editor Zein Ja'far, who was in downtown Beirut at the time of the explosion on Tuesday afternoon, said the "huge explosion" caused windows to "cave in".

"It tore apart the facade of the building we're in, and once the dust settled we managed to get ourselves and others in this block outside," he said.

"It was really quite a worrying sight".

"The sounds of sirens of the fire brigade, ambulances, the police and also the military has been pretty incessant for the last 45 minutes and a huge number of emergency services and security forces are rushing to that area now," he said.

"A lot of very dazed, very bloodied people are walking around trying to gather their bearings."

One local, named Fady Roumieh, was stood in a car park of a shopping centre around 2km (1.2 miles) east of the blast.

He said: "[It was] like a nuclear bomb. The damage is so widespread and severe all over the city.

"Some buildings as far as 2km are partially collapsed. It's like a war zone. The damage is extreme. Not one glass window intact."

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said: "We are closely monitoring the situation in Beirut following an explosion."

Israel's foreign minister said the country had "nothing to do with the incident".

The explosion comes as Lebanon experiences its worst economic and financial crisis in decades.

It also comes amid rising tensions between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group along Lebanon's southern border.

https://news.sky.com/story/lebanon-large-explosion-heard-in-capital-beirut-12042456
 
cric_man said:
Israeli sabotage of an Iranian/Hezbollah munitions storage facility.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Beirut explosion is in area known to be used by Hezbollah for its long-range precision-guided missile project, which Israel publicly calls a red line. I have no specific knowledge, but would be surprised if explosives that detonated were not associated w/ that project. 1/</p>— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoahPollak/status/1290686124982071297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Click to expand...

Not sure if he was referring to this

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Prime Minister Netanyahu:<br> “We hit a cell and now we hit the dispatchers. We will do what is necessary in order to defend ourselves. I suggest to all of them, including Hezbollah, to consider this.</p>— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1290605716911337473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Ammonium nitrate stored in the port: Interior Minister

The Lebanese Interior Minister has said that ammonium nitrate was stored in the port, which is what caused the explosion, local media reported.

He said Lebanese customs should be asked about why it was there.

Lebanon-based broadcaster Mayadeen cited the country's customs director saying tonnes of nitrate exploded.
 
 
Looks like a chemical explosion. Hope the casualties are minimised because that looks frightening.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">One hospital in Beirut has said it is treating more than 500 injures and is unable to receive any more patients. Tens of the people injured will need surgery and the hospital is appealing for blood donations. <br><br>Follow the latest here: <a href="https://t.co/R2Lh904JkC">https://t.co/R2Lh904JkC</a> <a href="https://t.co/xn85sUgs7q">pic.twitter.com/xn85sUgs7q</a></p>— SkyNews (@SkyNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1290718354173562881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yesterday Netanyahu warned Hezbollah and Iran against "Testing" Israel as border clashes escalated. <br><br>Today, a huge explosion devastates the Lebanese capital. <br><br>Hope that is just a coincidence. <a href="https://t.co/tRFEGLj2GV">pic.twitter.com/tRFEGLj2GV</a></p>— Ahmed Shihab-Eldin (@ASE) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASE/status/1290686303424700417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


If indeed Israel is involved then there should be repercussions.
 
The Viper said:
Ammonium nitrate stored in the port: Interior Minister

The Lebanese Interior Minister has said that ammonium nitrate was stored in the port, which is what caused the explosion, local media reported.

He said Lebanese customs should be asked about why it was there.

Lebanon-based broadcaster Mayadeen cited the country's customs director saying tonnes of nitrate exploded.
Click to expand...

Tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored for over 6 years after being confiscated

The most disheartening thing is that lebanon is really dependent on imports at the moment and this is their biggest port. If it goes out of service there will be starvation. Also tonnes of grains, wheat, medicine etc were all stored in the port which have all been destroyed now.
 
cric_man said:
Israeli sabotage of an Iranian/Hezbollah munitions storage facility.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Beirut explosion is in area known to be used by Hezbollah for its long-range precision-guided missile project, which Israel publicly calls a red line. I have no specific knowledge, but would be surprised if explosives that detonated were not associated w/ that project. 1/</p>— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoahPollak/status/1290686124982071297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Click to expand...

the explosion was at a port. Why would anyone store munitions within a city? The conspiracy theories get more ridiculous every day
 
THe red smoke is caused by Nitrates (nitrites reacting with oxygen). So not surprised after reading reports of ammonium nitrate being stored).
 
Indiafan said:
Tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored for over 6 years after being confiscated

The most disheartening thing is that lebanon is really dependent on imports at the moment and this is their biggest port. If it goes out of service there will be starvation. Also tonnes of grains, wheat, medicine etc were all stored in the port which have all been destroyed now.
Click to expand...

Lebanon's PPP per cap GDP is almost $20,000 pa. No one is going to starve there.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lebanese TV station reporting “early information” that 2700 tons of seized ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut port. In 1947, the Texas City disaster involved 2200 tons of nitrate — and it caused one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history <a href="https://t.co/tRsrwXCgwI">https://t.co/tRsrwXCgwI</a></p>— Mohamad Bazzi (@BazziNYU) <a href="https://twitter.com/BazziNYU/status/1290752400316301314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
So Trump says it was a bomb…

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TRUMP on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BeirutBlast?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BeirutBlast</a> “This was not a some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event. This was a, seems to be, according to them [Generals], they would know better than I would, they seem to think it was a attack. It was a bomb of some kind”</p>— Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) <a href="https://twitter.com/AymanM/status/1290777815420473344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Israel is behind this , pretty much admitted it.

Storing weapons in cities is nothing new, Lebanon is a small nation which has been attacked for decades by Israel, they have a right to self defence and a right to have weapons to do so. Israel still isn't over the war of 2006, they went to retrieve 3 soldiers but ended up doing a deal to get their dead bodies back, along with a 100 odd others. On leaving they dropped cluster bombs because they are evil.

Hezbollah need to respond, they have hundreds of thousands of missiles but of course the Zionist entity is very powerful military state, so must use intelligent tactics.
 
Lebanon PM says those responsible for Beirut explosion will pay the price

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that those responsible for an explosion at a “dangerous” warehouse in Beirut port area that rocked the capital would pay the price.

“I promise you that this catastrophe will not pass without accountability. ... Those responsible will pay the price,” he said in a televised speech. “Facts about this dangerous warehouse that has been there since 2014 will be announced and I will not preempt the investigations”.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-l...plosion-will-pay-the-price-idUKKCN2502MG?il=0
 
Seven employees missing in port granaries, wheat unusable

Lebanon’s economy minister, Raoul Nehme, told local media on Tuesday that the wheat in Beirut’s port granaries can not be used and that the ministry lost track of seven employees in the granaries, Reuters reports.

The minister also told local media that Lebanon will import wheat and added that the country currently has enough wheat until they begin importing it.
 
Death toll climbs to 78 with 4,000 injured

Lebanon’s health minister told Reuters that the death toll from a massive explosion in the capital Beirut on Tuesday had reached 78, adding that nearly 4,000 people had been injured.

“There are many people missing until now. People are asking the emergency department about their loved ones and it is difficult to search at night because there is no electricity,” minister Hamad Hasan told Reuters. “We are facing a real catastrophe and need time to assess the extent of damages.”

The minister earlier said in televised remarks that more than 70 people had been killed.
 
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QnyYyxuXawg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

some terrifying videos coming out of the explosion. Feel for the Lebanese.
 
Absolutely terrifying and bone-chilling stuff.

The explosive shockwave that engulfed so much of the city keeps playing in my head. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

Prayers for the deceased, the injured and their families.

There needs to be an international investigation into what happened.
 
Indiafan said:
the explosion was at a port. Why would anyone store munitions within a city? The conspiracy theories get more ridiculous every day
Click to expand...

Hide in plain sight. Out side of city limits it becomes very conspicuous to Israeli surveillance.
This was most probably solid propellant to be used in missiles. Instead of bringing in fully assembled missile, Iran usually send different component to Hezbollah to be assembled in the time of need.
Tell me from whom did Lebanese Gov confiscate 4700 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate and then just left it at the port?
 
ahmedzee said:
THe red smoke is caused by Nitrates (nitrites reacting with oxygen). So not surprised after reading reports of ammonium nitrate being stored).
Click to expand...

Ammonium Nitrate is the main component used is solid propellants i-e fuel for missile rocket motors.
 
Lebanon is in mourning after a huge explosion in the capital Beirut killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000 others on Tuesday.

The whole city was shaken by the blast, which began with a fire at the port which exploded into a mushroom cloud.

President Michel Aoun said 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored unsafely in a warehouse for six years.

He scheduled an urgent cabinet meeting for Wednesday, and said a two-week state of emergency should be declared.

The country will observe an official period of mourning for three days from Wednesday.

President Aoun also announced that the government would release 100 billion lira (£50.5m; $66m) of emergency funds.

"What we are witnessing is a huge catastrophe," the head of Lebanon's Red Cross George Kettani told local media. "There are victims and casualties everywhere."

"Over 100 have lost their lives. Our teams are still conducting search and rescue operations in the surrounding areas," the Lebanese Red Cross added in a statement on Wednesday.

Officials said that an investigation was under way to find the exact trigger for the explosion. Lebanon's Supreme Defence Council said those responsible would face the "maximum punishment" possible.

The ammonium nitrate had reportedly been unloaded from a ship impounded at the port in 2013, and then stored in a warehouse there.

The explosion comes at a sensitive time for Lebanon, with an economic crisis reigniting old divisions as the country struggles with the coronavirus crisis. Tensions are also high ahead of Friday's verdict in a trial over the killing of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.

What happened?

The explosion occurred just after 18:00 (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday. A BBC journalist at the scene reported dead bodies and severe damage, enough to put the port of Beirut out of action.

Local media showed people trapped beneath rubble. A witness described the explosion as deafening, and video footage showed wrecked cars and blast-damaged buildings.

"All the buildings around here have collapsed. I'm walking through glass and debris everywhere, in the dark," one witness near the port told AFP news agency.

Hospitals were said to be overwhelmed and many buildings were destroyed.

The blast was also felt 240km (150 miles) away on the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, with people there saying they thought it was an earthquake.

'Hard to imagine a worse time for this to happen'
By Rami Ruhayem, BBC News, Beirut

Their sirens wailing, ambulances inched their way through heavy traffic to get to the site of the blast. Shards of glass blanketed the highway leading into Beirut from the north, as a tractor cleared the rubble.

There's never a good time for such terror to strike a city, but for Beirut, it's hard to imagine a worse time than this.

With Covid-19 infections on the rise, hospitals were struggling to cope. Now, they're faced with thousands of injuries and expecting thousands more.

Hundreds are now displaced; their homes reduced, in a split second, to a twisted, uninhabitable mess of glass and debris.

Lebanon imports most of its food; its economy has been in freefall for almost a year, amid fears of widespread food insecurity to come.

Now all the grain that was stored in the port is gone. In fact, Beirut port itself "is no more", one official said.

Even after the shock fades away, the impact will be hard to fathom.

'Glass going down from all over the building'

Hadi Nasrallah, eyewitness speaking to the BBC

I saw the fire, but I didn't yet know there was going to be an explosion. We went inside. Suddenly I lost my hearing because apparently I was too close. I lost my hearing for a few seconds, I knew something was wrong.

And then suddenly the glass just shattered all over the car, the cars around us, the shops, the stores, the buildings. Just glass going down from all over the building.

Literally all over Beirut, people were calling each other from different areas kilometres away and they were experiencing the same thing: broken glass, buildings shaking, a loud explosion.

Actually we were shocked because usually when it happens, just one area will experience those happenings after an explosion, but this time it was all of Beirut, even areas outside of Beirut.

Sunniva Rose, journalist

"Driving into Beirut early evening when it was still light, it was absolute chaos. The streets were literally covered in glass. It's hard for ambulances to go through - there's bricks, cement slabs. Houses have collapsed.

"When I got to the port it had been closed off by the army. The army said to stay away in case there was a second explosion.

"There was still smoke going up into the sky late into the evening. The whole city was black. It was very hard to walk around, people were covered in blood. I saw an 86-year-old woman being treated by a doctor who had just run out of his home with a first aid kit. Cars were entirely smashed by rocks. These old-style houses with big cuts of rock had just fallen down on the street.

"It's pandemonium in my own flat, all the glass is shattered. The extent of the damage is extreme. Even in a mall 2km away - the whole facade was shattered."

What is ammonium nitrate?
Ammonium nitrate has a number of different uses, but the two most common are as an agricultural fertiliser and as an explosive.

It is highly explosive when it comes into contact with fire - and when it explodes, ammonium nitrate can release toxic gases including nitrogen oxides and ammonia gas.

Because it's so flammable there are strict rules on how to store ammonium nitrate safely - among the requirements are that the storage site needs to be thoroughly fire-proofed, and there can't be any drains, pipes or other channels in which ammonium nitrate could build up, creating an additional explosion hazard.

What's the situation in Lebanon?

Lebanon is experiencing political turmoil, with street demonstrations against the government's handling of the worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Many blame the ruling elite who have dominated politics for years and amassed their own wealth while failing to carry out the sweeping reforms necessary to solve the country's problems. People have to deal with daily power cuts, a lack of safe drinking water and limited public healthcare.

There has also been tension on the border with Israel, which said last week that it had thwarted an attempt by Hezbollah to infiltrate Israeli territory. But a senior Israeli official has told the BBC that "Israel has no connection" to the Beirut blast.

The blast happened close to the scene of the huge car bombing which killed ex-PM Hariri. Tuesday's blast also came days before the long-awaited verdict in the trial at a special court in the Netherlands of four men accused of orchestrating the attack.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53659282
 
Donald Trump has contradicted Lebanese officials and suggested a "terrible attack" caused a massive explosion that killed at least 70 people in Beirut.

The cause of the blast, which also injured thousands of others, has not been confirmed - but the Lebanese prime minister has blamed thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at a warehouse.

Mr Trump told reporters: "I've met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that this was not some kind of manufacturing explosion type of an event... They seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind."

The US president did not say what information his generals had used to inform their opinion, but it clashes with the early assessments of officials in the Middle Eastern country.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab tweeted on Tuesday night to point the finger at what he said was an estimated 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stored dangerously for six years at a warehouse

Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound used as fertiliser and also in explosives.

Lebanon's internal security chief, Abbas Ibrahim, earlier echoed the prime minister and said a highly explosive material had been confiscated from a ship some time ago and stored at the port.

Local TV station LBC named the substance as ammonium nitrate.

A counter-terrorist bomb disposal operator looked at footage of the smoke produced by the explosion and told Sky News it was unlikely to have been caused be gunpowder or ammunition.

Large parts of the Lebanese capital have been devastated by Tuesday afternoon's explosion, which sent a huge shockwave across the city.

Residents reported collapsed ceilings and shattered windows as far as 2km (1.2 miles) away and the explosion was even heard and felt in Cyprus.

Beirut resident Fady Roumieh, who was standing in a car park east of the blast, said it was "like a nuclear bomb"

Hadi Nasrallah recalls his experience of a massive explosion in Beirut

'It was raining glass all over the city'
Sky News Middle East editor Zein Ja'far, who was in downtown Beirut at the time of the explosion, said it caused windows to "cave in".

"It tore apart the facade of the building we're in, and once the dust settled we managed to get ourselves and others in this block outside," said Ja'far.

He said there were a lot of "very dazed, very bloodied people" wandering around in shock.


https://news.sky.com/story/beirut-d...used-huge-explosion-in-lebanese-city-12042670
 
World leaders have offered support to Lebanon following a massive explosion that killed at least 73 people and wounded more than 3,700 in the capital, Beirut.

While the cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, Lebanon's internal security chief Abbas Ibrahim said the site of the blast in the port area of the city was housing highly explosive materials.

The explosion released shockwaves through the city, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky.

Hours after the blast, ambulances continued to carry away the wounded as army helicopters helped battle fires raging at the port. Officials expect the death toll to rise.

Here's how the world has reacted:

France

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with the Lebanese and said France was sending resources to the site of the blast.

"I express my fraternal solidarity with the Lebanese after the explosion which claimed so many victims and damages this evening in Beirut. France stands alongside Lebanon. Always. French aid and resources are being transported on the spot [of the explosion]," Macron wrote on Twitter.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also sent a message of support to Lebanon, writing on Twitter that France is ready to assist any need the Lebanese authorities will express.

Germany

The German foreign ministry said staff at the German embassy were wounded in the explosion.

"The wounded also include embassy personnel," the ministry said. "We cannot for the moment exclude German nationals figuring among the dead and wounded."

The German embassy building, located not far from the port, was damaged but the "seriousness of the damage cannot yet be determined for now," the foreign ministry said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said through her spokeswoman that she was shocked by the event and promised aid for Lebanon.

Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Tehran was ready to assist in any way and urged Lebanon to "stay strong".

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the great and resilient people of Lebanon," Zarif wrote on Twitter.

"As always, Iran is fully prepared to render assistance in any way necessary. Stay strong, Lebanon."

Israel

Israel said it had offered humanitarian aid to Lebanon via foreign channels, as the neighbours have no diplomatic relations.

"Under the direction of Minister of Defence Benny Gantz and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi, Israel approached Lebanon through international defence and diplomatic channels to offer the Lebanese government medical humanitarian aid," Gantz wrote on Twitter.

Italy

The Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio took to social media to wish "a speedy recovery" to those wounded in the blast.

"Italy is close to Lebanese friends in this tragic moment. Our thoughts go to the families of the victims, to whom we express our deep condolences, and to the injured people, to whom we wish a speedy recovery," Di Maio said.


Malaysia

Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein expressed his country's grief over the Beirut blast, and offered to help in "any way we can".

"Malaysia stands together in grief as our thoughts and prayers accompany the strong people of Lebanon," he said in a Twitter post. "We stand ready to support any way we can."

Qatar

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani called President Michel Aoun to offer condolences, according to the state-run Qatar News Agency. The Gulf country said it would send field hospitals to support Lebanon's medical response.

Sheikh Tamim wished "a speedy recovery for the injured", QNA reported, adding that he "expressed Qatar's solidarity with brotherly Lebanon and its willingness to provide all kinds of assistance".

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said it is following with great concern the consequences of Beirut's port explosion, according to the state news agency.

The statement also affirmed the kingdom's full support and solidarity with the Lebanese people.


Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu offered his condolences to the Lebanese people, adding that Ankara was ready to assist in "every way".

"Wish Allah's mercy upon those who lost their lives in the explosion occurred in the port of Beirut. Condolences to the brotherly and friendly people of Lebanon. Hoping there won't be any more losses. Ready to assist our Lebanese brothers & sisters in every way," said Cavusoglu.

Turkish President Erdogan also offered humanitarian assistance in a phone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun.


United Kingdom

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his readiness to help Lebanon in any possible way.

"The pictures and videos from Beirut tonight are shocking. All of my thoughts and prayers are with those caught up in this terrible incident. The UK is ready to provide support in any way we can, including to those British nationals affected," Johnson wrote on Twitter.

United States

President Donald Trump said he sent his sympathies to Lebanon for the dozens of people killed and thousands wounded in the blast, which he cast as an attack, and offered US help.

"The United States stands ready to assist Lebanon," Trump said at a White House briefing. "We will be there to help. It looks like a terrible attack."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the blast as a "tragedy" and offered US assistance to Lebanon.

"We are monitoring and stand ready to assist the people of Lebanon as they recover from this horrible tragedy," Pompeo wrote on Twitter.

Pompeo in an accompanying statement said that the US will wait for the findings of Lebanese authorities on the cause of the blast.

"Our team in Beirut has reported to me the extensive damage to a city and a people that I hold dear, an additional challenge in a time of already deep crisis," said Pompeo, who has spoken in the past of his personal interest in Lebanon.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...deadly-beirut-blast-live-200804234925493.html
 
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab has pledged that those responsible for a massive explosion in Beirut's port, which killed dozens of people and wounded thousands, would be held to account.

"What happened today will not pass without accountability," he said in a televised address on Tuesday.

"Those responsible for this catastrophe will pay the price."

The exact cause of the explosion that was felt across the capital was not immediately clear, but officials said it could be linked to "explosive materials" confiscated and stored in a warehouse "for years".

Diab, in his speech, promised announcements about "this dangerous warehouse that has been in existence for six years, since 2014."

The prime minister also appealed for international assistance to help Lebanon, already struggling with its worst economic crisis and a surging coronavirus outbreak.

"I am sending an urgent appeal to all countries that are friends and brothers and love Lebanon, to stand by its side and help us treat these deep wounds," said Diab, whose government gained confidence in February after anti-establishment protesters forced the resignation fo the government of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

'Chaos in the streets'
The explosion on Tuesday destroyed much of the port, damaging buildings across the capital and sent a giant mushroom cloud into the sky.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, said the explosion caused "chaos in the streets".

"The force [of it] was massive - it destroyed buildings, glass everywhere, and it took lives."

Beirut hospitals quickly filled beyond capacity, pleading for blood supplies and generators to keep their lights on.

Lebanon, an eastern Mediterranean nation of six million people, is in the throes of an economic meltdown that has crushed businesses, thrown tens of thousands of people out of work and led the currency to dramatically depreciate.


Those hardships have only intensified in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/200804201538926.html
 
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab has pledged that those responsible for a massive explosion in Beirut's port, which killed dozens of people and wounded thousands, would be held to account.

"What happened today will not pass without accountability," he said in a televised address on Tuesday.

"Those responsible for this catastrophe will pay the price."

The exact cause of the explosion that was felt across the capital was not immediately clear, but officials said it could be linked to "explosive materials" confiscated and stored in a warehouse "for years".

Diab, in his speech, promised announcements about "this dangerous warehouse that has been in existence for six years, since 2014."

The prime minister also appealed for international assistance to help Lebanon, already struggling with its worst economic crisis and a surging coronavirus outbreak.

"I am sending an urgent appeal to all countries that are friends and brothers and love Lebanon, to stand by its side and help us treat these deep wounds," said Diab, whose government gained confidence in February after anti-establishment protesters forced the resignation fo the government of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

'Chaos in the streets'
The explosion on Tuesday destroyed much of the port, damaging buildings across the capital and sent a giant mushroom cloud into the sky.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, said the explosion caused "chaos in the streets".

"The force [of it] was massive - it destroyed buildings, glass everywhere, and it took lives."

Beirut hospitals quickly filled beyond capacity, pleading for blood supplies and generators to keep their lights on.

Lebanon, an eastern Mediterranean nation of six million people, is in the throes of an economic meltdown that has crushed businesses, thrown tens of thousands of people out of work and led the currency to dramatically depreciate.


Those hardships have only intensified in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/200804201538926.html
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Deeply pained to hear of the massive explosions in Beirut with precious lives lost & thousand injured.We stand in solidarity with our Lebanese brethren in their difficult hour, sharing their sorrow & grief. May Allah grant speedy recovery to the injured & strength to the bereaved</p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1290907945845362689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...deadly-beirut-blast-live-200804234925493.html

Lebanese President Michel Aoun called for an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday and said a two-week state of emergency should be declared following a massive explosion in Beirut that killed at least 100 people and injured 4,000 others.

The explosion on Tuesday sent shockwaves across the city, causing widespread damage as far as the outskirts of the capital.

Officials said they expect the death toll to rise further as emergency workers dig through the rubble to search for survivors.

Beirut’s city governor Marwan Abboud said up to 300,000 people have lost their homes and authorities are working on providing them with food, water and shelter.

Damage estimated to be between $3-5 billion.
 
Rescuers are searching for survivors after a huge explosion in Beirut's port area on Tuesday

At least 100 people are known to have died in the blast, which injured thousands more

It was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse, Lebanon's president says

The port appears to have been entirely destroyed, while buildings across the city sustained damage

Up to 300,000 people have been left homeless, Beirut's governor says

Three days of mourning have been declared in the country, already suffering from an economic crisis and the pandemic
 
Officials 'asked for ammonium nitrate to be moved'

The highly explosive substance blamed for Tuesday's blast was meant to be moved, the port's general manager has told local broadcaster OTV.

Hassan Koraytem said the ammonium nitrate had been in the port for six years, following a court order.

But, despite instructions from the customs department and state secretary to move or export it, "nothing happened", he told the broadcaster.
 
EU sends firefighters and equipment to Beirut

Janez Lenarcic, the EU's commissioner for crisis management, says they "share the shock and sadness of the people of Beirut".

"At this difficult time, the European Union offers its full support to the Lebanese people," he said in a statement.

He said more than 100 "highly trained" firefighters with vehicles, dogs and equipment will be deployed to Beirut to "work with the Lebanese authorities to save lives on the ground".

The Netherlands, Greece and the Czech Republic have already confirmed their participation, he said, with France, Poland and Germany also offering assistance.
 
Lebanon to place Beirut port officials under house arrest: sources

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon’s cabinet on Wednesday agreed to place all Beirut port officials who have overseen storage and security since 2014 under house arrest, ministerial sources said.

It was not clear how many officials would be included or their seniority level. The army will oversee the house arrest until responsibility is determined for a huge explosion at the port that occurred on Tuesday, the sources said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ials-under-house-arrest-sources-idUSKCN25121I
 
Firebat said:
Lebanon to place Beirut port officials under house arrest: sources

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon’s cabinet on Wednesday agreed to place all Beirut port officials who have overseen storage and security since 2014 under house arrest, ministerial sources said.

It was not clear how many officials would be included or their seniority level. The army will oversee the house arrest until responsibility is determined for a huge explosion at the port that occurred on Tuesday, the sources said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ials-under-house-arrest-sources-idUSKCN25121I
Click to expand...

A number of Beirut port officials are being placed under house arrest pending an investigation into Tuesday's huge explosion, Lebanon's government says.

The blast killed at least 135 people and injured more than 4,000 others. A two-week state of emergency has begun.

President Michel Aoun said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse.

Customs chief Badri Daher said his agency called for the chemical to be removed, but "this did not happen".

"We leave it to the experts to determine the reasons," he said.

Ammonium nitrate is used as a fertiliser in agriculture and as an explosive.

Opening an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Aoun said: "No words can describe the horror that has hit Beirut last night, turning it into a disaster-stricken city".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53670839
 
This is a fishy cover up story.

Lebanon isn't a big country and Beirut is one of their busiest ports. To store thousands of tonnes of highly explosive material there for 6 years is absolute dumbshit crazy and unacceptable.

The estimated loss is valued at USD 3-4 billion dollars This is a LOT of money for any country let alone crisis hit Lebanon.

People who have been and are going to be impacted by this deserve a thorough investigation.
 
World Bank says ready to mobilize financing for Lebanon blast recovery

The World Bank Group said on Wednesday it stands ready to assess Lebanon’s damage and needs after a devastating Beirut port explosion and will work to help mobilize public and private financing for reconstruction and recovery.

The World Bank said in a statement that it “would be also willing to reprogram existing resources and explore additional financing to support rebuilding lives and livelihoods of people impacted by this disaster.”

The Bank did not indicate which resources could be diverted to a blast recovery effort. In June, the multilateral development lender announced that it would reallocate $40 million from an existing $120 million health program for Lebanon to help the country fight the coronavirus pandemic.

At least 135 people were killed and 5,000 were injured in Tuesday’s explosion at Beirut port, which also left up to 250,000 without homes fit to live in after shockwaves smashed building facades

It was also unclear on Wednesday whether the disaster will alter Lebanon’s difficult negotiations with the International Monetary Fund. Since May, the IMF and Lebanon have been trying to work out a broader bailout package aimed at stemming a financial crisis that is seen as the biggest threat to the country’s stability since the 1975-90 civil war.

Those talks have bogged down amid disagreements over the scale of financial losses in Lebanon’s banking system.

The Fund has not made an official statement about the disaster beyond a tweet from Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva expressing her “deep sadness for the loss of lives, the injuries and the devastation” resulting from the explosion.

Scott Morris, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, said that donor support for Lebanon in the wake of the disaster would likely be strong.

“Lebanon’s macro and debt situation will add to the overall urgency for international support,” said Morris, a former U.S. Treasury international development official. “That said, it is highly unlikely that donor responses would serve as an alternative to reaching agreement with the IMF on a bailout.”

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday reaffirmed a “steadfast” but unspecific commitment to help Lebanon’s people

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-l...for-lebanon-blast-recovery-idUKKCN2512ZQ?il=0
 
Since it was near the port only half of city was impacted, rest towards sea. Truly tragic event and another one for the year 2020
 
People in Beirut have expressed anger at the government over what they say was negligence that led to Tuesday's huge explosion.

President Michel Aoun said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse.

Many have accused the authorities of corruption, neglect and mismanagement.

The blast killed at least 135 people and injured more than 4,000 others. A two-week state of emergency has begun.

"Beirut is crying, Beirut is screaming, people are hysterical and people are tired," filmmaker Jude Chehab told the BBC, calling for the people responsible to face justice.
 
People in Beirut have expressed anger at the government over what they say was negligence that led to Tuesday's huge explosion.

President Michel Aoun said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse.

Many have accused the authorities of corruption, neglect and mismanagement.

The blast killed at least 135 people and injured more than 4,000 others. A two-week state of emergency has begun.

"Beirut is crying, Beirut is screaming, people are hysterical and people are tired," filmmaker Jude Chehab told the BBC, calling for the people responsible to face justice.

Chadia Elmeouchi Noun, a Beirut resident currently in hospital, said: "I've known all the time that we are led by incompetent people, incompetent government [...] But I tell you something - what they have done now is absolutely criminal."

On Wednesday, the government announced that a number of Beirut port officials were placed under house arrest pending an investigation into the explosion.

The country's Supreme Defence Council insisted that those found responsible would face the "maximum punishment".

Meanwhile, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for an independent investigation into the blast. In a statement, HRW said it had "serious concerns about the ability of the Lebanese judiciary to conduct a credible and transparent investigation on its own".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53673957
 
Beirut, Lebanon - A government-led investigation is under way in Lebanon to probe the cause of the massive explosion that ripped through the capital, Beirut.

The government announced on Wednesday that those responsible for guarding and storage at Beirut's port - the epicentre of the blast - would be placed under house arrest "as soon as possible," after the disaster left at least 137 dead and 5,000 wounded.

Damages from the explosion, which officials have linked to some 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the port, may be worth up to $15bn, Beirut Governor Marwan About said.

As the debris is cleared, anger has turned to rage after revelations that officials knew the highly volatile material had been stashed at Beirut's port for more than six years.

A top-trending hashtag in Lebanon on Wednesday was #علقوا_المشانق, or "hang up the nooses".

Ramez al-Qadi, a prominent TV anchor, tweeted: "Either they keep killing us or we kill them."

As heat rises around the country's decision-makers, some have sought to deflect blame onto other branches of the state - including Lebanon's judiciary.

Public Works Minister Michel Najjar told Al Jazeera that he had only found out about the presence of the explosive material stashed in Beirut's port 11 days before the explosion, through a report given to him by the country's Supreme Defense Council. He had taken over the post six months earlier.

"No minister knows what's in the hangars or containers, and it's not my job to know," Najjar said.

The minister said he followed up on the matter, but in late July, Lebanon's government imposed a new lockdown amid a rapid increase in new COVID-19 cases. Najjar eventually spoke the general manager of the port, Hasan Koraytem, on Monday.

He said he asked Koraytem to send him all the relevant documentation, so that he could "look into this matter."

That request came too late. The next day, just after 6pm (15:00 GMT), a warehouse at the port exploded, gutting the harbour and wrecking large parts of Beirut.

Najjar said he learned on Wednesday that his ministry had sent at least 18 letters to the Beirut urgent matters judge since 2014, asking for the goods to be disposed of. Najjar declined to provide the documents to Al Jazeera, citing a continuing investigation into the cause of the explosion.

"The judiciary didn't do anything," he said. "It's negligence."

But Nizar Saghieh, a leading Lebanese legal expert and founder of NGO Legal Agenda, said the "primary legal responsibility here is on those tasked with overseeing the port - the port authority and the public works ministry, as well as Lebanese Customs."

"It is certainly not up to a judge to find the safe place to house these goods," he told Al Jazeera.

Popular scepticism
Many angry Lebanese are demanding accountability and answers as to how and why 2,750 tonnes of highly explosive material was stored near residential Beirut for more than six years.

Management of the port has been split between a range of authorities. The port authority runs the operation of the port, and its work is overseen by the public works and transport ministry.

Lebanon's customs agency nominally controls all goods that enter and exit the country, while the Lebanese security agencies all have bases at the port.

Few Lebanese feel confident they will see justice for this latest disaster in the country's history, pointing to the lack of official accountability for the period of rampant corruption and mismanagement in the years after the country's civil war.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab has promised this time will be different.

He is heading an investigation committee that includes the justice, interior and defence ministers and the head of Lebanon's top four security agencies: the Army, General Security, Internal Security Forces and State Security.

The committee has been tasked with reporting its findings to Cabinet within five days, and Cabinet, in turn, will refer those findings to the judiciary.

In the meantime, officials in the executive authority, including Najjar, a minister in Diab's government, have attempted to cast suspicion on Lebanon's judiciary.

The case against the judiciary

The ammonium nitrate that blew up on Monday arrived in Beirut, reportedly by chance, on board a vessel facing technical issues in September 2013.

By 2014, the cargo had been unloaded and stored at Hangar 12 at Beirut's port - now a deep crater filled with turquoise seawater.

Public documents verified by Al Jazeera show that Lebanese Customs sent six letters to the Beirut Urgent Matters Judge between 2014 and 2017, urging the judge to get rid of the "dangerous" material by either exporting it, re-selling it or handing it to the Army.

Badri Daher, the director-general of Lebanese Customs, said on Wednesday that the judiciary did not act, and blamed the institution and the port authority for failing to get rid of the goods.

Najjar echoed Daher, saying it was the judiciary, the port authority and, perhaps, security forces who were to blame.

"There is no negligence from the public works ministry," he said of the portfolio that has been held by the Marada Movement since 2016.

"I'm surprised that they (the judiciary, port authority and security forces) didn't find a way to deal with this for almost seven years. It was an accident waiting to happen," he said.

Muddying the waters
Melhem Khalaf, the independently elected head of the Beirut Bar Association, said officials were undertaking a "pre-emptive attack to vilify the judiciary and muddy the waters on this case".

"Since when are officials the ones who lay down verdicts?" Khalaf told Al Jazeera.

He said the government's response to the disaster - forming a committee headed by establishment-backed politicians, and security forces who ultimately answer to those same politicians - is no way to find justice.

Lebanon's Judges Club, a body independent of establishment political parties, also said justice should remain firmly in the courts.

Investigating the Beirut explosion is "not within the powers of any committee, no matter what it may be", the club said in an implicit criticism of the government's investigative committee.

On Tuesday, Khalaf filed a complaint with the highest judge in the land, Public Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat, calling for him to seek the expertise of local and international experts - including engineers, explosives and chemicals experts - to assess the cause of the Beirut explosion.

"The time has come for officials to stop misleading the Lebanese people - there are dead and injured and missing, and the country has been burned," Khalaf said.

"After all they have done, they are now coming to us and determining who's responsible?"

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-probes-beirut-explosion-200805191032840.html
 
French President says Lebanon needs reforms or will suffer more

French President Emmanuel Macron said Lebanon was facing a political and economic crisis, and that it would continue to suffer unless it enacted reforms.

Macron was speaking to reporters in Beirut, after his plane touched down at the start of an official visit following Tuesday's deadly warehouse explosion in the Lebanese capital.

Ahead of his arrival, an advisor to Macron said: "The aim of the president's visit is to belie the idea that Lebanon is alone, sunk and about to disappear.

"It will be an occasion to try to give hope to the Lebanese, tell them there's a way, and that France is there to walk alongside them."

Another source close to the president made clear Macron expected action from Lebanon's leaders.
 
Apparently 600 tonnes of the same chemical is stocked at Chennai port in India as well.

Stringent safety audits are the need of the hour.

Also huge amount of chemical dumping by foreign nations needs a check.
 
Protests have erupted in Beirut as residents blame Lebanon's leaders for the deadly explosion that killed at least 145 people.

Dozens of protesters threw stones at security forces and set tyres on fire near the country's parliament in central Beirut on Thursday evening.

They were eventually pushed back after security forces, including army soldiers, fired a few rounds of tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Hours before, locals used French president Emmanuel Macron's visit to let the world know they want political reform in a country that was already struggling with economic and political crises.

Mr Macron visited the capital's port that was devastated on Tuesday after 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate set off a massive explosion that left 300,000 people - more than 12% of Beirut's population - homeless, and thousands injured.

Lebanon's customs chief said the cabinet was previously warned by a security agency that the stockpile of chemicals, confiscated from an impounded Russian cargo ship in 2013, was dangerous.

The report has compounded anger as few people can rebuild homes and businesses, with unemployment and poverty having already mounted during the financial crisis blamed on the government.

As Mr Macron visited one of the worst-hit residential areas in France's former colony, a crowd gathered around him and shouted their anger, using slogans including "revolution!" and "the people want to bring down the regime" - a line used at mass protests last year.

Presenting himself as a champion for the Lebanese people, he told the crowd in Gemmayze he would propose "a new political pact" to the government and said French aid would "not go into the hands of corruption".

One woman shouted at Mr Macron: "You are sitting with warlords. They have been manipulating us for the past year."

He replied: "I'm not here to help them. I'm here to help you."

The pair then hugged.

Mr Macron announced France will organise a conference in the next few days with European, American, Middle Eastern and other donors to raise money for food, medicine, housing and other urgent aid.

He warned Lebanon's political elite he would not give "blank cheques to a system that no longer has the trust of its people" and called on them to create a "new political order".

Lebanon's president, Michel Aoun, visited the port with other colleagues but no leading politicians have visited the neighbourhoods damaged by the blast.

The French president was mobbed on the streets of Beirut

Beirut's hospitals are struggling to deal with the wounded more than 48 hours after the blast, with fears of a coronavirus spike adding to the devastation.

Four-month-old Sophie Ajoury, one of the youngest survivors, was fighting for her life in one hospital after suffering head injuries as her mother breastfed her near a window when the explosion happened.

The United Nations said it was releasing $9 million (£6.7m) from its emergency fund to support hospitals and intensive care units, while European, Arab and Asian countries are sending doctors, medical supplies or field hospitals.

Beirut explosion victim

'Nobody can help Lebanon if rulers stay the same'
Over the past few years, the international community has been reluctant to offer support to the notoriously dysfunctional government where corruption is rife and basic services like rubbish collection are a mess.

The investigation into the blast is focusing on how the ammonium nitrate came to be stored in the port and why it was never dealt with, with the president promising punishment for whoever is responsible.

Sixteen port employees have been detained and 18 port and customs officials in charge of the warehouse's maintenance have been questioned so far, lead investigator and military judge Fadi Akki said.

The port's general manager, Hassan Koraytem, and former works and transport minister Ghazi Aridi, will be interviewed on Friday, a person familiar with the investigation said.

https://news.sky.com/story/beirut-e...nons-leaders-blamed-for-deadly-blast-12044099
 
Lebanon sees possible 'external interference' in blast

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon’s president said on Friday its investigation into the biggest blast in Beirut’s history would examine whether it was caused by a bomb or other external interference, as residents sought to rebuild shattered homes and lives.

Rescuers sifted rubble in a race to find anyone still alive after Tuesday’s port explosion that killed 154 people, injured 5,000, smashed a swathe of the Mediterranean city and sent seismic shockwaves around the region.

“The cause has not been determined yet. There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act,” President Michel Aoun said in comments carried by local media and confirmed by his office.

Aoun, who had previously said explosive material was stored unsafely for years at the port, said the investigation would also weigh if the blast was due to negligence or an accident. Twenty people had been detained so far, he added.

One source said an initial probe blamed negligence.

While the United States has said it did not rule out an attack, Israel, which has fought several wars with Lebanon, has denied any role. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the cause was unclear, but compared the blast to a huge 2005 bombing that assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

At Beirut’s Mohammad Al-Amin mosque, next to Hariri’s grave, chief cleric Amin Al Kurdi told worshippers in a Friday sermon that Lebanese leaders bore responsibility.

“Who is the criminal, who is the killer behind the Beirut explosion?” he said. “Only God can protect, not the corrupt ... The army only protects the leaders.”

Security forces teargassed a crowd in Beirut on Thursday, as anger boiled over at the ruling elite, who have presided over an economic collapse.

The small crowd, some hurling stones, marked a return to the kind of protests that had become a feature of life in Beirut, as Lebanese watched their savings evaporate and currency disintegrate, while government decision-making floundered.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-external-interference-in-blast-idUSKCN2531F9
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pakistan &#55356;&#56821;&#55356;&#56816; has sent relief assistance consisting of medicines and food supplies to Lebanon &#55356;&#56817;&#55356;&#56807; as a token of solidarity, which would be delivered in Beirut today.</p>— Husham Ahmed (@hushamahmed) <a href="https://twitter.com/hushamahmed/status/1291687572595507200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Lebanese president says blast probe looking into external interference among possible causes, in addition to simple negligence or an accident.

Lebanese authorities have taken into custody 16 people as part of an investigation into the Beirut port warehouse explosion that shook the capital, state news agency NNA reported.

The Lebanese government has given an investigative committee four days to determine responsibility for the blast, Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe told French radio.

French President Emmanuel Macron offered France's support for the Lebanese people on a visit to Beirut, but said crisis-hit Lebanon would "continue to sink" unless its leaders carry out reforms.

Health Minister Hamad Hassan said at least 154 people have been killed in the explosion and 5,000 others injured, but the number is expected to rise as search-and-rescue operations continued for missing people.
 
Lebanon's president has said an investigation into the Beirut explosion is exploring the possibility it was caused by "a rocket or a bomb".

Michel Aoun spoke on Friday after the number of victims in the explosion rose to 154, with another 5,000 people injured.

"There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act."

International rescue teams are still searching the rubble of Beirut's port nearly three days after the explosion hit the city.

At least three more bodies were recovered in the 24 hours leading up to Friday morning, bringing the total to 149.

Lebanon's health minister later said at least 154 people had died in the blast on Tuesday.

French and Russian rescue teams with dogs were seen searching the port area on Friday.

Among those located in the rubble was Joe Akiki, a 23-year-old port worker who had been missing since the explosion.

Dozens of people are still missing.

Some 300,000 people, more than 12% of Beirut's population, are unable to return to their homes because of the explosion, which blew out doors and windows across the city and left many buildings uninhabitable.

Officials have estimated losses at $10bn to $15bn (£7.6bn to £11bn).

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva has said the need for shelter in Beirut is "massive".

The UN's children agency UNICEF has said up to 100,000 children have had their families's homes damaged and are displaced because of the explosion.

UNICEF added it lost 10 containers of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the blast and has placed an order to replace the items.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has said the grain silo destroyed in Tuesday's blast was the country's only one.

The port director in the Lebanese city of Tripoli has said plans to build another 150,000 tonne grain silo there have been shelved due to a lack of funding.

It comes as the US has pledged over $17m (12.9m) in initial disaster aid for Lebanon.

The US embassy said in a statement the aid included food assistance, medical supplies and financial assistance for the
Lebanese Red Cross.

The World Food Programme (WFP) plans to import wheat flour and grains for bakeries and mills to help protect against food shortages across Lebanon.

The United Nations agency said on Friday: "WFP is concerned that the explosion and the damage to the port will exacerbate an already grim food security situation - that has worsened because of the country's profound financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

"WFP also stands ready to offer supply chain management and logistical support and expertise to Lebanon."

The developments come a day after France's President Emmanuel Macron paid a visit to the blast site and promised aid.

He also said Lebanon needed a new "political initiative" as part of the rebuilding process because of corruption in the country.

Protests have erupted in Beirut as residents blame the country's leaders for the explosion.

Lebanon was mired in a severe economic crisis before the blast that was also widely blamed on the political class.

The explosion was apparently caused by the ignition of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate - a chemical used for explosives and fertiliser.

It had been stored at the port since it was confiscated from an impounded cargo ship in 2013.

https://news.sky.com/story/beirut-e...ve-been-caused-by-a-rocket-or-a-bomb-12044405
 
Seems like the Lebanese government has woken up and realised it was an outside source which is behind the attack.

Hezbollah Im sure have already set up their missiles facing the Zionist entity.
 
because of large blast radius and instant explosions doubt any footage will be available for investigation
 
'Gift From God': Former Israeli Parliament Member Celebrates Beirut Explosion

A former member of Israel's parliament faced a backlash on social media after calling Tuesday's deadly port explosions in Beirut a "gift" from God in a post shared to Facebook.

The leader of Israel's far-right Zehut party, Moshe Feiglin, appeared to delete the post Facebook post before Thursday afternoon. Feiglin initially shared it on Wednesday, screenshots of the message show. Screenshots were published by news outlets and tweeted by social media users alongside their criticism.

"Today is Tu B'Av, a day of joy, and a true and huge thank you to God and all the geniuses and heroes really (!) who organized for us this wonderful celebration in honor of the day of love," Feiglin wrote on Facebook, according to Middle East Monitor. Tu B'Av is a Jewish holiday similar to Valentine's Day.




"Marking Tu B'Av holiday, we've got a fantastic fireworks show from Beirut's port," he reportedly said elsewhere in the post. He also suggested the explosions were not caused by an industrial accident and reportedly told a local radio station later that Israel "should be proud" if it was somehow responsible.



Israel denied any involvement in the explosions. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country has "no fight with either the Lebanese people or the Iranian people but with their governments" during a meeting of the Knesset, Israel's parliament. Ongoing political tensions have existed between Israel and Lebanon for decades, and more recent conflicts sparked the 2006 Lebanon War.


more on: https://www.newsweek.com/gift-god-f...nt-member-celebrates-beirut-explosion-1523395


This is pretty sickening. I thought South Asian politicians were bad but I don't think I have ever seen a Pakistani/Indian politician celebrate a tragedy like this despite the relations being at an all time low.
 
Disgusting comment.

Then again, this is Israel we are talking about. Zionist vermin state.
 
Lebanese president says blast probe looking into external interference among possible causes, in addition to simple negligence or an accident.

Lebanese authorities have taken into custody 16 people as part of an investigation into the Beirut port warehouse explosion that shook the capital, state news agency NNA reported.

The Lebanese government has given an investigative committee four days to determine responsibility for the blast, Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe told French radio.

French President Emmanuel Macron offered France's support for the Lebanese people on a visit to Beirut, but said crisis-hit Lebanon would "continue to sink" unless its leaders carry out reforms.

Health Minister Hamad Hassan said at least 154 people have been killed in the explosion and 5,000 others injured, but the number is expected to rise as search-and-rescue operations continued for missing people.
 
More than 60 still missing after Beirut mega-blast: ministry

More than 60 people are still missing in Beirut, four days after a massive explosion at the port left more than 150 people dead, a health ministry official said.

"The number of dead is 154, including 25 who have not yet been identified," the official told the AFP news agency. "In addition, we have more than 60 people still missing."

The health minister said on Friday that at least 120 of the 5,000 people who were injured on Tuesday are in critical condition.
 
Condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in a fully preventable tragedy. Shows that Corruption is very much prevalent and thriving in other countries as well. Hope they throw the book at all who were associated with holding these highly combustible chemicals so close to the city.
 
Dozens of protesters in Beirut have entered the foreign ministry during a wider demonstration over Tuesday's huge explosion that left at least 158 dead.

Several thousand people are on the streets in a planned protest, but there has been violence. Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing demonstrators.

Sounds of gunfire have also been heard from central Martyrs' Square.

In a televised address, Prime Minister Hassan Diab said he would ask for early elections as a way out of the crisis.

"We can't exit the country's structural crisis without holding early parliamentary elections," he said. The issue will be discussed in cabinet on Monday.

Many Lebanese are furious at the failure to prevent the explosion of over 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.

The material, which was being stored in a warehouse, had been seized from a ship six years ago but never moved. The government has promised to find those responsible.

The blast at the port devastated parts of the city and has deepened distrust of what many had already seen as an inept and corrupt political class. An anti-government protest movement erupted last October, fuelled by an economic crisis and a collapsing currency.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53704998
 
At least 728 people have been wounded in clashes with authorities as thousands of protesters hit the streets of central Beirut as riot police fire tear gas at those trying to break through a barrier to the parliament building. One police officer was also reported killed.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab has called for early polls after Tuesday's deadly blast, saying it is the only way out of the country's crisis.

Lebanese authorities have taken into custody 19 people as part of an investigation.

At least 158 people were killed in the explosion and more than 6,000 others injured, but numbers are expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue for missing people.
 
Lebanon's information minister Manal Abdel Samad announced her resignation, saying Prime Minister Hassan Diab's government failed to live up to the aspirations of the Lebanese people.

At least 728 people have been wounded in clashes with authorities as thousands of protesters hit the streets of central Beirut as riot police fire tear gas at those trying to break through a barrier to the parliament building. One police officer was also reported killed.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab has called for early polls after Tuesday's deadly blast, saying it is the only way out of the country's crisis.

At least 158 people were killed in the explosion and more than 6,000 others injured, but numbers are expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue for missing people.
 
Lebanese police fired tear gas to try to disperse rock-throwing protesters blocking a road near Parliament in Beirut on Sunday in a second day of anti-government demonstrations triggered by last week's devastating explosion.

International leaders joined a virtual donor conference led by France and the UN in the aftermath of the devastating explosion, pledging nearly $300m in humanitarian assistance that will be "directly delivered to the Lebanese population".

US President Donald Trump has announced that the US will give "substantial" aid to Lebanon, but did not specify how much.
The IMF said it is willing to redouble efforts to help Lebanon after the devastating explosion, but said all of the country's institutions needed to show willingness to carry out reforms.

Lebanon's Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad announced her resignation. Shortly after, Environment Minister Damianos Kattar also resigned from his post.
 
More than 200 people are believed to have been killed by Tuesday's devastating explosion in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, its governor has said.

Marwan Abboud said dozens were still missing, many of them foreign workers.

The army has meanwhile called off the rescue phase of its search operation at the port, the epicentre of the blast.

On Sunday there was a second night of violence in the city, as police clashed with protesters angry with the government's response to the disaster.

The resignation of a cabinet minister and several MPs has failed to quell the fury.
 
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab will soon announce his government’s resignation, the health minister told Reuters on Monday after a massive port explosion that devastated the capital piled pressure on the cabinet.

Diab was set to deliver an address to the nation at 7:30 p.m. local time, his office said.
 
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab has announced his resignation almost a week after a massive explosion that devastated the capital, Beirut, killing some 200 people and wounding 6,000 others.

Diab made the announcement in a televised address to the nation on Monday.

He said that "this crime" was a result of endemic corruption and called for the trying those responsible for the deadly blast.

Health Minister Hamad Hassan told reporters after a cabinet session earlier in the day that the country's embattled government had already resigned.

The August 4 explosion, which was caused by highly explosive ammonium nitrate that was stored at Beirut's port for more than six years, has fuelled popular anger and upended politics in a country struggling with a major economic crisis.
 
Protests have taken place for a third consecutive night in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, amid mounting anger over the devastating explosion a week ago that reportedly killed more than 200 people.

Clashes broke out near the parliament building, with demonstrators throwing fireworks and police firing tear gas.

Hours earlier, the Lebanese cabinet submitted its resignation.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab blamed the blast on years of endemic corruption but avoided taking responsibility.

A fire is believed to have caused the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stored for six years without safety measures at Beirut's port.

The blast wave flattened nearby buildings and caused extensive damage over much of the rest of the city, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

Lebanon was already struggling with an unprecedented economic crisis before the disaster, with families pushed into poverty and hunger.

Since October, protesters have been demanding the complete overhaul of the political system, which they blame for government corruption and mismanagement.
 
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