Beirut explosion: At least 78 dead, about 4,000 injured, public mourning

At least 78 people were killed and nearly 4,000 injured in the Beirut explosion. The Lebanese government appealed for help from countries around the world. Iran, Turkey, the United States, Russia, Israel, Germany, and France expressed solidarity and announced their readiness to help.

A day after two massive explosions in Beirut's port area on Tuesday evening, August 4, Lebanese authorities attributed the explosion to the storage of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate (chemical fertilizer).

Lebanese President Michel Aoun tweeted that accumulating such a large amount of explosive materials without taking safety precautions is unacceptable.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab also said in his speech after the explosion that the perpetrators of this tragedy will not go unpunished.

On the morning of Wednesday, August 5, the Lebanese Supreme Defense Council, in an extraordinary meeting chaired by President Michel Aoun, declared three days of public mourning and the closure of government offices.

Beirut Governor Moan Abboud, while visiting the site of the explosion, likened the "catastrophe" to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The number of injured is so high that Beirut hospitals are said to be unable to treat them. The Lebanese government has asked for help from friendly countries.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, expressed his sympathy with the Lebanese people by sending a tweet in Arabic and English, writing, "Iran declares its readiness to help Lebanon in any way possible."

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, said before the opening of the public session of the parliament on Wednesday that Iran is ready to help Lebanon.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has not yet reacted to the Lebanese incident.

In a telephone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart, the Iraqi Prime Minister announced that Baghdad would send a plane carrying medical aid to Beirut as a sign of sympathy and solidarity.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi strongly denied "rumors regarding possible Israeli involvement in the Beirut explosion."

The German news agency reported that even Israel, which does not have diplomatic relations with Lebanon, has informed Lebanese authorities through foreign security and diplomatic channels that it is ready to send medical and humanitarian aid to the Lebanese government.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also sent a message on Twitter in Arabic to express his condolences for the Lebanese people who lost their lives in the Beirut explosion. Erdogan immediately offered his condolences to his Lebanese counterpart in a phone call with Michel Aoun.

The Turkish ambassador to Beirut said that the Turkish embassy building in Beirut is located near the site of the explosion and was forced to evacuate due to the damage, and two citizens of the country were also injured.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced her readiness to help Lebanon if it wishes.

The German Foreign Ministry in Berlin announced that the explosion even caused injuries at the country's embassy.

The German Foreign Ministry issued a statement on its Twitter page, writing that the images seen from Beirut are shocking and that employees of the German embassy in Beirut are among the injured in the incident.

US President Donald Trump expressed US sympathy for Lebanon and said the United States has a very good relationship with Lebanon and is ready to help. Trump, however, described the explosion in Beirut port as the result of an attack, adding, "It looks like it was a terrible attack."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on his Twitter account that the United States is monitoring the situation and stands ready to help Lebanon emerge from this disaster.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed their sympathy for the Lebanese people and expressed their readiness to send aid. France has also sent several medical aid teams to Beirut.

This explosion is considered the largest in Beirut since the assassination of Rafik Hariri in 2005.

The German news agency wrote that the incident occurred three days before the verdict of the "Supreme Court of Lebanon", a court under the supervision of the United Nations, in which several members of the Lebanese Hezbollah are suspected of participating in the assassination of Rafik Hariri.

The court is scheduled to issue its verdict on Friday in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed in 2005.

The residence of Saad Hariri, former Lebanese Prime Minister and son of Rafik Hariri, was also damaged in Tuesday's explosions.

Source: DW