Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Latest: President Says 2 Possible Causes in Beirut Blast
US News and World Report ^ | 08/07/2020

Posted on 08/07/2020 8:02:14 AM PDT by BenLurkin

Lebanese President Michel Aoun says there are two possibilities behind Tuesday’s blast — either negligence or “external intervention” by a missile or a bomb.

Aoun said Friday that he asked France for satellite images to see if there were warplanes or missiles in the air at the time of the blast.

The blast is believed to have been caused when a fire touched off 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port since it was taken from an impounded ship in 2013. The cause of the initial fire is not known.

Aoun told journalists that he received information on July 20 about the stored material and “immediately ordered” military and security officials to do what was necessary. He did not elaborate. He said several governments in charge since 2013 received warnings about the material.

He said the investigation is concentrating on 20 persons. He rejected an international investigation into the blast, saying that it will make us “lose the truth.”

(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: beirut; cause; explosion
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-47 next last
So it was either an accident, or somebody did it on purpose. That narrows it down.
1 posted on 08/07/2020 8:02:14 AM PDT by BenLurkin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin
two possibilities behind Tuesday’s blast — either negligence or “external intervention” by a missile or a bomb.

Makes sense.

2 posted on 08/07/2020 8:03:06 AM PDT by 1Old Pro (#openupstateny)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: 1Old Pro

Negligence is present in any case. Don’t store millions of pounds of high explosives in a strategic location (your main port) in your capital city.


4 posted on 08/07/2020 8:05:30 AM PDT by coloradan (The Enemy Media isn't chartered to inform but rather to advance the interests of certain elites.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: ping jockey

Captain Obvious is President of Lebanon. Who knew??


5 posted on 08/07/2020 8:05:52 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

“Aoun told journalists that he received information on July 20 about the stored material and “immediately ordered” military and security officials to do what was necessary. He did not elaborate. He said several governments in charge since 2013 received warnings about the material.“

Some military or security official realized he had to use or lose his megabomb?


6 posted on 08/07/2020 8:07:16 AM PDT by hardspunned (MAGA, now more than ever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: hardspunned
He said several governments in charge since 2013 received warnings

Big government is quite useless. Even in America, Obama and Cuomo both failed to stock up on virus response necessities. Politicians are idiots.

7 posted on 08/07/2020 8:09:24 AM PDT by 1Old Pro (#openupstateny)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Raise the “terrorism” possibility to deflect from the sheer incompetence and stupidity of leaving a seized cargo of dangerous ammonium nitrate in a common warehouse, in the literal center of commerce of your country - for 7 years!


8 posted on 08/07/2020 8:13:01 AM PDT by PGR88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

And let me add this helpful corollary: either they know what caused it, or they don't.

9 posted on 08/07/2020 8:16:36 AM PDT by Songcraft
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Aoun said Friday that he asked France for satellite images to see if there were warplanes or missiles in the air at the time of the blast.

...

The US may have that kind of ability, but I don’t think France does.


10 posted on 08/07/2020 8:16:59 AM PDT by Moonman62 (http://www.freerepublic.com/~moonman62/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

There was clearly a fire prior to the explosion. There were clearly aerial explosions visible and audible prior to the explosion in close proximity to the warehouse.

Bulk ammonium nitrate can explode when exposed to fire.

This is what happened in West Texas albeit on a much smaller scale. It has happened previously and it will happen again because people do not take storage precautions and zoning seriously. The idea that Hezbollah would get rid of a material that is the most common oxidizer for improvised explosives is laughable. They controlled the port and they control Lebanon.


11 posted on 08/07/2020 8:23:22 AM PDT by volunbeer (Find the truth and accept it - anything else is delusional)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

It’s the middle east, gotta always leave “the Joos” as an option.


12 posted on 08/07/2020 8:25:00 AM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Warplanes didn’t deposit all of the ammonium nitrate into the warehouse six years ago and he knows it. The Lebanese president is just playing to the crowd, which in Beirut includes Hezbullah, to see if he can gain something politically or financially from the tragedy. The whole reason the fuel for the explosion was there in the first place was because of negligence and corruption. Someone didn’t want to pay a bribe to get the cargo released, so there it sat.


13 posted on 08/07/2020 8:25:03 AM PDT by jz638
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Moonman62
...The US may have that kind of ability, but I don’t think France does...

Do not fool yourself. France has imaging satellites. Seeing an aircraft is not particularly challenging for any imaging satellite. Identifying the aircraft, who knows.

I suspect this will remain as murky as the Seth Rich murder.

14 posted on 08/07/2020 8:26:17 AM PDT by CurlyDave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin
"So it was either an accident, or somebody did it on purpose. That narrows it down..." Nah, it just means that he's about to cross the Goebbels Gap, throw the Muslim populace the: "Ooooh! Shiny!!" distraction they desire above any and all others. IOW, he's about to publicly blame it on t3h j0000z.
15 posted on 08/07/2020 8:28:39 AM PDT by Kriggerel ("All great truths are hard and bitter, but lies... are sweeter than wild honey" (Ragnar Redbeard))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

it was at the will of their pos allah want it ?
so be it


16 posted on 08/07/2020 8:30:34 AM PDT by ßuddaßudd ((>> M A G A << "What the hell kind of country is this if I can only hate a man if he's white?")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PGR88

That’s my read on it as well.


17 posted on 08/07/2020 8:31:52 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin
President Michel Aoun says there are two possibilities behind Tuesday’s blast — either negligence or “external intervention” by a missile or a bomb.

So he's ruled out aliens?

18 posted on 08/07/2020 8:32:08 AM PDT by bkopto
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

I’m sure the massive grain elevator next to the ammo dump had nothing to do with it...


19 posted on 08/07/2020 8:32:51 AM PDT by Antoninus (The press has lost the ability to persuade. They retain the ability to foment a panic.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: coloradan

AN is not a “high explosive” in the technical sense. It has explosive potential when stored improperly & exposed to fire. Multiple examples have been cited in this thread & elsewhere.


20 posted on 08/07/2020 8:33:38 AM PDT by T-Bird45 (It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-47 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson