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Huge Explosion Rocks Beirut; 78 Dead, 4000 Wounded in Possible Attack

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Edited by TJV News

A massive explosion rocked downtown Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings and blowing out windows and doors as a giant mushroom cloud rose above the capital, as was reported by AP.

 

Lebanese Red Cross official Georges Kettaneh said there were dead and wounded, but did not have an exact figure, just saying there were hundreds of casualties.

 

A civil defense official on the scene of the blast said his men had evacuated dozens to hospitals and that there were still bodies inside the port, many of them under debris, according to the AP report.

The cause of the blast was not immediately known.

 

Dozens of ambulances ferried the injured from the port area, where the wounded lay on the ground, Associated Press staff at the scene said. Hospitals called for blood donations.

 

The head of the Lebanese Red Cross told local TV there were hundreds of casualties although many were superficial wounds from broken glass.

 

Around 4 pm eastern time on Tuesday, AP updated their story and reported that at least 50 people were killed and more than 2,700 were injured, with bodies buried in the rubble, officials said.

 

Rescue workers help an injured man at the explosion scene that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020. Massive explosions rocked downtown Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings and blowing out windows and doors as a giant mushroom cloud rose above the capital. Witnesses saw many people injured by flying glass and debris. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Hours later, ambulances still carried away the wounded as army helicopters helped battle fires raging at the port.

 

The sudden devastation overwhelmed a country already struggling with both the coronavirus pandemic and an economic crisis: Beirut hospitals quickly filled beyond capacity, pleading for blood supplies and generators to keep their lights on, according to the AP report.

The cause of the blast, which sparked fires, overturned cars and blew out windows and doors, was not immediately known.

 

Abbas Ibrahim, chief of Lebanese General Security, said it might have been caused by highly explosive material that was confiscated from a ship some time ago and stored at the port, as was reported by AP. Local television channel LBC said the material was sodium nitrate.

 

Witnesses reported seeing a strange orange-colored cloud over the site after the explosion. Orange clouds of toxic nitrogen dioxide gas often accompany an explosion involving nitrates, as was reported by AP.

 

An Israeli government official said Israel “had nothing to do” with the blast. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media, according to the AP report. Israeli officials usually do not comment on “foreign reports.”

 

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) is believed to have carried out scores of strikes within those nations during the past several months, and Israel announced on Monday that it launched strikes in Syria following an attempted attack by the Hezbollah terror group on Israel’s border in the Golan Heights, as was reported by World Israel News.

 

The IDF eliminated the four terrorists involved in that incident, who attempted to place explosives along the border.

 

A special force from the Maglan Unit operating in the southern Golan Heights area, near a military post, identified a squad of several terrorists placing explosives near the border fence, according to a report on the Israel National News web site.

 

“Northern Command forces are on high alert and prepared for any scenario. The IDF considers the Syrian regime responsible for any action takingplace in its territory and will not allow any violation of the sovereignty of the State of Israel,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit stressed.

 

On Monday, INN reported that IDF forces conducted a tour of the area where the bomb attack in the southern Golan Heights was thwarted on Sunday night.

 

During the tour, weapons and a bag were found, containing a number of explosive devices that were ready to be used against an IDF force, 25 meters from the perimeter fence, inside Israeli territory, according to the INN report.

 

The IDF said that the army forces carrying out operational employment in the Golan Heights sector continue to be vigilant and ready for possible developments

 

That episode followed on the heels of an Israeli airstrike that killed a Hezbollah fighter in Syria. Hezbollah vowed to take revenge for that strike, and explosives were fired from within Syria, according to the WIN report.

 

Last week, Israel stopped another infiltration attempt by Hezbollah terrorists trying to enter Israel from Lebanon, as was reported in the WIN report.

 

Hezbollah receives massive amounts of aid from Iran, and both entities routinely express their intention to destroy the Jewish state. Israel has also long warned that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons.

 

Hours before the explosion in Beirut on Tuesday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited an IDF base and commented on the recent flare ups with Hezbollah, as was reported by WIN.

 

“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,” Netanyahu said, according to the WIN report.

 

Since 2017, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria, where Hezbollah operates and Iran maintains a significant military presence. Israel has made it clear that Iranian entrenchment near its border crosses a red line it will not tolerate.

 

AP reported that the humungous blast was stunning even for a city that has seen civil war, suicide bombings and bombardment by Israel. It could be heard and felt as far away as Cyprus, more than 200 kilometers (180 miles) across the Mediterranean.

 

“It was a real horror show. I haven’t seen anything like that since the days of the (civil) war,” said Marwan Ramadan, who was about 500 meters (yards) from the port and was knocked off his feet by the force of the explosion.

 

Some of those injured lay on the ground at the port, Associated Press staff at the scene said. A civil defense official said there were still bodies inside the port, many under debris.

 

AP reported that Beirut’s governor, Marwan Abboud, broke into tears as he toured the site, saying, “Beirut is a devastated city.”

 

Initially, video taken by residents showed a fire raging at the port, sending up a giant column of smoke, illuminated by flashes of what appear to be fireworks. Local TV stations reported that a fireworks warehouse was involved.

 

The fire then appeared to catch at a nearby building, triggering a more massive explosion, sending up a mushroom cloud and a shock wave, as was reported by AP.

 

Charbel Haj, who works at the port, said it started as small explosions like firecrackers. Then, he said, he was thrown off his feet by the huge blast. His clothes were torn.

 

“It was like a nuclear explosion,” said Walid Abdo, a 43-year-old school teacher in the neighborhood of Gemayzeh near Beirut.

 

Miles from the port, balconies were knocked down, windows shattered, streets were covered with glass and bricks and lined with wrecked cars. Motorcyclists picked their way through traffic, carrying the injured.

One woman covered in blood from the waist up walked down a trashed street while talking furiously on her phone. On another street, a woman with a bloodied face looked distraught, staggering through traffic with two friends at her side, as was reported by AP.

 

“This country is cursed,” a young man passing by muttered.

 

AP reported that the blast came at a time when Lebanon’s economy is facing collapse, hit both by a financial crisis and coronavirus restrictions. Many have lost jobs, while the worth of their savings has evaporated as the currency has plunged in value against the dollar. The result has thrown many into poverty.

 

The explosion was reminiscent of massive blasts during Lebanon’s civil war and took place only three days before a U.N.-backed tribunal was set to give its verdict in the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a truck bombing more than 15 years ago. That explosion, with a ton of explosives, was felt miles away, just like Tuesday’s explosion, as was reported by AP.

 

It was the latest chapter for a country that has suffered a 15-year civil war, repeated conflict with Israel, political assassinations and various other crises including the current unprecedented financial and economic crisis.

 

Several of Beirut’s hospitals were damaged in the blast. Roum Hospital put out a call for people to bring it spare generators to keep its electricity going as it evacuated patients because of heavy damage, according to the AP report.

 

Outside the St. George University Hospital in Beirut’s Achrafieh neighborhood, people with various injuries arrived in ambulances, in cars and on foot. The explosion had caused major damage inside the building and knocked out the electricity at the hospital. Dozens of injured were being treated on the spot on the street outside, on stretchers and wheelchairs.

 

“This is a catastrophe we have on our hands,” said one doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make press statements.

 

In terms of what the damage done to Beirut’s port will mean for the country, the Guardian of the UK reported that it is worth remembering that Lebanon has two land borders – one is Syria, and the other is Israel, with which Lebanon is technically at war.

 

Lebanon also relies heavily on imports for its food supply. The economic crisis has already seen food prices rise by up to 80% in recent months.

 

On Twitter Tobias Schneider, a researcher at the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin, says that Lebanon relies on imports for 90% of its wheat consumption (wheat is used to make the country’s staple flatbreads), most of which enters through a single terminal.

 

A White House official said President Donald Trump has been briefed on Tuesday’s explosion.

 

“Praying for the people of Lebanon. The President has been briefed. We continue to monitor the situation closely,” White House Director of Strategic Communications Alyssa Farah said. (AP, WIN & INN)

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