Fri 07 August 2020:
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah strongly denied claims that the armed group had any weapons stored at the warehouse prior to the explosion, adding that that the investigation will soon “reveal the truth” behind the deadly blast.
“It has nothing to do with Hezbollah,” Nasrallah said in televised speech. “Our people are among those injured and killed in the blast.”
The armed group’s secretary-general said that the Beirut blast was an exceptional event in Lebanon’s modern history and that should be dealt with as such.
“All of Hezbollah’s personnel and institutions … are under the state and the municipality’s disposal,” Nasrallah said.
He added that the group views positively any help and trips to Lebanon, including French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit.
Possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb
Lebanon’s president said an investigation into the Beirut port warehouse explosion was looking at whether it was the result of external interference, in addition to simple negligence or an accident, his office said on Friday.
“The cause has not been determined yet. There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act,” President Michel Aoun said in comments carried by local media and confirmed by his office.
He said he had asked French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Beirut on Thursday, “to secure aerial images to determine what happened and if the French do not have them, we will request them from another source.”
The United States said this week it had not ruled out the possibility of an attack, while Israel, which has fought several wars with Lebanon, has been swift to deny any role.
Aoun said the probe would be conducted in three parts: “First, how the explosive material entered and was stored … second whether the explosion was a result of negligence or an accident … and third the possibility that there was external interference.”
Aoun, who has promised a full investigation, said 20 port officials had been detained as part of the investigation.
UN wants independent probe into Beirut blast
The UN human rights office is calling for an independent investigation into the Beirut explosion, insisting “victims’ calls for accountability must be heard”.
Spokesman Rupert Colville of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights cited the need for the international community to “step up” to help Lebanon with both a quick response and sustained engagement.
He said Lebanon is facing the “triple tragedy of a socio-economic crisis, COVID-19 and the ammonium nitrate explosion” that devastated the capital on Tuesday.
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