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What we know to date about the Beirut explosion on August 4th is that it has thus far killed 137 and has injured about 5,000 more. We also know that Hezbollah stockpiled 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate [or 5,500.000 pounds] in London and Germany which was eventually discovered and removed to a warehouse near the Beirut seaport. The explosive material was originally slated to be used against Israel.
Hezbollah kept three metric tons of ammonium nitrate, the explosive thought to be behind the mega blast in a storehouse in London, until MI5 [the UK's equivalent to our FBI] and the London Metropolitan Police found it in 2015.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists kept the explosive in thousands of ice packs in four properties in northwest London, according to a report in The Telegraph last year. The ice pack deception tactic was used in Germany, as well.
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It was Israel's Mossad [our equivalent is the CIA] that tipped off MI5 about the stockpile of explosives. Mossad also helped the Germans locate the stockpile in their country in which there was a raid on a mosque and residents tied to the terrorist group throughout Germany.
MI5 arrested a man in his 40s for allegedly planning terrorist attacks, but did not find evidence that the terrorists were planning an attack in the UK.
In 2019, the UK banned Hezbollah, making it a criminal offense to support or be a member of the group, carrying a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Last week, a cross-party group of UK parliamentarians expressed concern that the UK was not effectively enforcing the ban on Hezbollah. In fact, the ban on terrorism in the UK was about as effective as the ban on rioting in the US.
At this time, rescue workers in Lebanon are digging through the rubble looking for survivors from Tuesday's explosion.
What we know now is that the explosion was preceded by a huge fire at the Port of Beirut, on the northern Mediterranean coast of Lebanon's capital.
In this video posted on social media white smoke could be seen billowing from Warehouse 12, next to the port's huge grain silos and then comes the enormous explosion.
Shortly after the roof of the warehouse burns and there is a large initial explosion, followed by a series of smaller blasts that some witnesses said sounded like fireworks going off.
Then, about 30 seconds later, there was a colossal explosion that sent a mushroom cloud into the air and a super-sonic blast wave radiating through the city. Reports say the blast could be heard as far as 125 miles from ground zero.
That blast wave leveled buildings near the port and caused extensive damage over much of the rest of the capital, displacing about 300,000 residents and collective losses that may reach $10-15bn, said Beirut Gov. Marwan Abboud.
Shortly after the roof of the warehouse burns and there is a large initial explosion, followed by a series of smaller blasts that some witnesses said sounded like fireworks going off.
Then, about 30 seconds later, there was a colossal explosion that sent a mushroom cloud into the air and a super-sonic blast wave radiating through the city. Reports say the blast could be heard as far as 125 miles from ground zero.
That blast wave leveled buildings near the port and caused extensive damage over much of the rest of the capital, displacing about 300,000 residents and collective losses that may reach $10-15bn, said Beirut Gov. Marwan Abboud.
The blast destroyed the immediate dockside area, creating a crater approximately 460 feet wide [about 1 1/2 football fields wide], which flooded with seawater.
The warehouse where the initial fire and explosions were observed was completely obliterated and an adjacent grain silo was heavily damaged.
The warehouse where the initial fire and explosions were observed was completely obliterated and an adjacent grain silo was heavily damaged.
"What we are witnessing is a huge catastrophe," said the head of the Lebanese Red Cross, George Kettani. "There are victims and casualties everywhere."
Satellite images highlight complete devastation in the port area, with one ship apparently blown out of the water and onto the dockside.
The explosion's shockwave blew out windows at Beirut International Airport's passenger terminal, about 5 miles away from the port.
Lebanon's President, Michel Aoun, blamed the detonation on 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that he said had been stored unsafely at a warehouse in the port.
Ammonium nitrate is a crystal-like white solid commonly used as a source of nitrogen for agricultural fertilizer. But it can also be combined with fuel oils to create an explosive used in the mining and construction industries. Militants have made bombs with it in the past as in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 that killed 168 people, including children in a daycare, and injuring about 800 others.
Lebanon's President, Michel Aoun, blamed the detonation on 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that he said had been stored unsafely at a warehouse in the port.
Ammonium nitrate is a crystal-like white solid commonly used as a source of nitrogen for agricultural fertilizer. But it can also be combined with fuel oils to create an explosive used in the mining and construction industries. Militants have made bombs with it in the past as in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 that killed 168 people, including children in a daycare, and injuring about 800 others.
Experts agree that ammonium nitrate, if stored properly, is relatively safe if not left for long periods of time as it will decay and absorb moisture, making it more dangerous if fire reaches it.
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A fire appears to have triggered the explosion of the ammonium nitrate in Beirut.
Lebanese broadcaster LBCI and Reuters news agency cited sources as saying the fire was started by welding work being carried out on a hole in Warehouse 12.
The port's general manager, Hassan Koraytem, confirmed that maintenance was conducted on the door of the warehouse before the explosion.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said a female diplomat from the German embassy had died in her apartment from the blast.
The Lebanon-based cruise ship agency Abou Merhi said two people died and seven were injured when its Orient Queen ship was severely damaged by the blast.
There are also reports of one American, one Australian and two Egyptians killed in the blast along with residents in the surrounding vicinity.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab described the circumstances that led to the explosion as "unacceptable," and the director of Lebanese Customs, Badri Daher, told the press that his and Mr. Koraytem's warnings about the danger the material posted and calling for its removal were ignored.
Documents circulated online appeared to show that customs officials sent letters to the judiciary seeking guidance at least six times from 2014 to 2017.
The government has ordered officials at the port who oversaw the storage of the ammonium nitrate to be put under house arrest pending the completion of the investigation.
Many Lebanese citizens are unimpressed by the government's promises of transparency and accountability. They believe the investigation is an attempt by a political elite accused of corruption, neglect and mismanagement to dodge blame for the disaster and point fingers elsewhere.
The government has ordered officials at the port who oversaw the storage of the ammonium nitrate to be put under house arrest pending the completion of the investigation.
Many Lebanese citizens are unimpressed by the government's promises of transparency and accountability. They believe the investigation is an attempt by a political elite accused of corruption, neglect and mismanagement to dodge blame for the disaster and point fingers elsewhere.
Heads may roll . . . possibly literally.
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