MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : WHO DID IT ? HEZBOLLAH WEAPONS DEPOT DESTROYED –

Hundreds injured after massive explosion rocks Beirut Port

Multiple videos show plume of smoke rising from coastline and then a large blast and shockwave. IDF remains on high alert in the North.

By TZVI JOFFRE   AUGUST 4, 2020 21:34 – JERUSALEM POST

A massive explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday and a tall plume of smoke could be seen from a distance. The explosion took place at a warehouse at the Beirut Port. Ambulances transported hundreds of injured people to local hospitals and dozens are feared to have been killed in the incident.

Multiple videos from the area showed a plume of smoke rising from near the coastline and then a large blast and shockwave. Buildings throughout the area were damaged in the blast, including media offices and Lebanon’s electrical company.

Video and pictures from the scene showed windows blown out and debris strewn in buildings and streets throughout Lebanon’s capital. Some buildings in the area collapsed and emergency forces rushed to rescue those trapped in the rubble. Electrical outages were reported throughout the capital hampering search and rescue efforts.

“I saw a fireball and smoke billowing over Beirut. People were screaming and running, bleeding. Balconies were blown off buildings. Glass in high-rise buildings shattered and fell to the street,” said a Reuters witness.

At least 17 people are dead and over 800 are wounded, a Red Cross source told the Independent Arab. The Secretary-General of the Kataeb Party was killed in the incident, according to Al-Hadath.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun called the Supreme Council of Defense for an emergency meeting on Tuesday evening. Ambulances were called in from around the country and the Lebanese Army sent reinforcements to the area. Some 30 Red Cross teams are operating in the area. Lebanese citizens were asked to donate blood if possible and doctors were asked to come immediately and help treat the wounded.

Hospitals in the capital ran out of room and began treating wounded people in hallways and transferring other wounded people outside of Beirut. Injuries, damage and deaths were reported on streets and in buildings throughout Beirut.The source of the explosion is unclear. Initial reports indicated that the fire occurred in a warehouse storing fireworks and video from the scene appeared to show fireworks igniting shortly before the blast. Additional reports claim that a nearby warehouse was storing explosive chemicals that had been confiscated at the port.

Lebanon’s General Security director told Al-Hadath that reports that the explosion was caused by fireworks were “ridiculous” and that the explosion involved high-quality explosives. The Interior Ministry stated that the explosive being stored at the warehouse was ammonium nitrate and that customs should be asked why it was being stored there. An odd smell was noticed in the area after the explosion, according to Al-Mayadeen.

Lebanese officials stressed that the cause of the explosion is still unknown and is under investigation.

Sources from Hezbollah told OTV Lebanon that there was “no truth” to reports that the explosion was caused by an Israeli strike on Hezbollah weapons at the port. Israeli defense officials denied that Israel had any connection to the incident. Hezbollah operatives were seen at the port after the explosion, according to Al-Arabiya. Al-Arabiya reported that the explosion occurred at a weapons depot belonging to Hezbollah.
Fighter jets were spotted over Tel Aviv after the explosion, according to Channel 12 news. The IDF has been on high alert in the North ever since Hezbollah operatives tried crossing into Israel last week. Late Monday night, the IDF struck multiple targets throughout Syria in response to an attempt by a terror cell in Syria to plant an explosive device along the border fence with Israel.

The Trump administration is closely tracking the deadly explosion in Beirut, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told a news briefing on Tuesday, but she offered no details about the causes of the blast.

The European Union, United States, Cyprus and a number of other countries offered support after the disaster.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced a national day of mourning on Wednesday for the victims of the explosion.

A significant internet outage was reported in Lebanon following reports of the explosion, according to internet watchdog NetBlocks. It is unclear what caused the outage.

The former home of the late Lebanese president Rafik Hariri, who was killed 15 years ago in an alleged Hezbollah-Iranian attack, is located near where the explosion took place. His son, former prime minister Saad Hariri, was in offices near the site, but was not injured in the incident, according to LBCI.

A number of members of Hezbollah are being tried in absentia at the Hague for planning and arranging the attack in which a truck carrying 3,000 kg of high-grade explosives was blown up next to Hariri’s motorcade, killing him and 21 others. A verdict is expected to be issued by the court on Friday.

Reuters contributed to this report.