Beirut: The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah rejected rumors that the militant group had stashed weapons at Beirut’s port before this week’s devastating explosion, which officials have blamed on a vast store of ammonium nitrate.
“We don’t have anything at the port, not weapons, missiles or ammunition or nitrate or anything else at all. Not now, not in the past or the future,” Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech.
In the aftermath of the blast that killed 154 people and wounded thousands, some Lebanese speculated that an undeclared arsenal could have played a role in the tragedy. Iran-backed Hezbollah controls the nation’s most powerful armed force, with its members fighting in key Middle East conflicts and over the years sporadically clashing with Israel’s army. It’s listed as a terrorist group by the U.S. and Gulf states.
In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the group of keeping weapons at the port and other areas in the Lebanese capital.
Authorities say Tuesday’s explosion was the result of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been unloaded from a ship in 2014 and kept at the port despite repeated safety warnings.
Lebanon has arrested 20 people, including port and customs officials, and placed everyone who had an official role at the port since 2014 under house arrest. A team of French explosive experts arrived in Beirut Thursday to help with the investigation that’s being led by the Lebanese army and police intelligence.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he spoke with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and offered aid, saying three aircraft have been dispatched with medical supplies, food, water and personnel to help. He said he’d hold a conference call with on Sunday with world leaders to discuss the situation.
…At 3pm this afternoon, spoke to President Aoun of Lebanon to inform him that 3 large aircraft are on the way, loaded up with Medical Supplies, Food and Water. Also, First Responders, Technicians, Doctors, and Nurses on the way…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2020
“This was an event like the world has not seen for a long time, a horrible event,” Trump said at a Friday evening press conference. He said he spoke to a lot of people and “they all want to help.”
The explosion came as Lebanon is reeling under its worst financial meltdown in decades and the government’s inability to implement reforms and tackle corruption as demanded by the international community.
The administration is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a $10 billion loan program but those negotiations had stalled over internal disputes.
Gulf states, European nations and the U.S. have sent mobile clinics, food and medicine to the country. French President Emmanuel Macron was in Lebanon Thursday, and said he would make sure any aid went directly to the Lebanese people. – Bloomberg
Also read: What the massive Beirut explosion reveals about Lebanon’s complex political situation