Lebanon President Rejects Foreign Probe Into Beirut Port Blast

By Edna Wande On Aug 8, 2020

Lebanon’s president, Michel Aoun has rejected any international probe into the catastrophic Beirut port blast, saying a missile or negligence could have been responsible.

With destruction from the blast engulfing half of the capital and estimated to cost more than $3 billion, world leaders, advocacy groups and Lebanese have demanded an international probe to ensure impartiality.

The ruling class has come under fire once again since Tuesday’s explosion, which killed at least 154 people and devastated swathes of the capital.

The revelation that a large shipment of hazardous ammonium nitrate had been stored in a warehouse for years in the heart of the capital served as shocking proof to many Lebanese of incompetence of their political system.

Even President Aoun admitted on Friday that the “paralysed” system needed to be “reconsidered”.

He pledged “swift justice”, but rejected widespread calls for an international probe, telling a reporter he saw it as an attempt to “dilute the truth”.

The first time a top Lebanese official raised the possibility that the port had been attacked, the President said;

There are two possible scenarios for what happened: it was either negligence or foreign interference through a missile or bomb.

What ignited the massive shipment of the chemical remains unclear – officials have said welding work took place in warehouse, while others suspected fireworks stored either in the same place or nearby.

Also reacting to the call for international probe, Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah movement said that the army should lead such a probe because it was “trusted” by all.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah denied accusations that the Shiite party had been storing arms at the port, saying: “We have nothing in the port.”

Lebanon’s probe has so far led to 21 arrests, including the port’s general manager Hassan Koraytem, other customs officials and port engineers, a judicial source told AFP.

Dozens more were being interrogated by Lebanon’s military court, which is focusing on administrative and security officials at the port as well as government authorities who may have ignored warnings about explosive materials.

Lebanon’s central bank also ordered asset freezes for seven port and customs officials, an official and a banking source told AFP.

The measures did not dampen the anger in Beirut’s streets, where dozens of demonstrators stood against security forces who fired tear gas at them late Thursday.

And volunteers clearing debris have chased out two government ministers who tried to visit devastated neighbourhoods with furious chants of “resign”.

An anti-government protest is planned for Saturday afternoon under the slogan, “Hang them by the gallows”.

Meanwhile, rescue teams from France, Russia, Germany, Italy and other countries have coordinated their search efforts.

The World Food Programme has promised food for affected families and wheat imports to replace lost stocks from the silos, and US President Donald Trump said he would join other leaders in a conference call on Sunday to discuss coordinating international aid.

Four bodies were uncovered near the port’s control room Friday, where a significant number of people were expected to have been working at the time of the blast. No one has been found alive.

Since the blast, Beirut has received a stream of international assistance.

On Friday, relief flights from Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates landed in Lebanon, following others from France, Kuwait, Qatar and Russia.

International police agency Interpol has said it will send a team of experts who are specialised in identifying victims.

The World Health Organization, meanwhile, called for $15 million to cover immediate health needs.

The blast has however left over 100,000 children among 300,000 people homeless, including many who have been separated from their families, according to United Nations.