The Strategist

Trump allows that Beirut explosion resulted from attack



08/06/2020 - 04:40



US President Donald Trump said that it is not yet known exactly what happened on August 4 in Beirut. Earlier, Head of the White House said that "some kind of bomb" had exploded in the Lebanese capital. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper called the incident an "accident."



Karim Sokhn
Karim Sokhn
“Some think it was an attack, some think it wasn't. Whatever happens there is terrible. But they don't really know what it is. Nobody knows yet,” President told reporters.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told CNN that Washington does not completely rule out that the explosion in Beirut was an attack. “We continue to assess the situation. Obviously, not a single group has taken responsibility,” he added.

A powerful explosion in the port of Beirut occurred on the evening of 4 August. Immediately after the explosion, some Arab media reported a possible missile attack from the Israeli Air Force. The Israeli army denies any involvement in the incident. According to the preliminary version of the Lebanese authorities, the explosion was caused by improper storage of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in one of the port's warehouses. In the next five days, it is planned to conduct an investigation and identify those responsible. As a result of the explosion, more than 4 thousand people were injured, 150 were killed, 300 thousand people were left homeless.

source: cnn.com