Posted on 08/20/2020 6:20:32 AM PDT by SJackson
Hezbollah’s central role in Lebanon’s affairs precludes any conclusion but guilt.
Within an hour of the massive explosion that rocked Beirut on August 4, Hezbollah denied any culpability. Lebanon’s president, Michel Aoun, considered a close Hezbollah ally, immediately attributed the blast to the presence of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that ignited after a nearby warehouse housing fireworks caught fire. Lebanese authorities claim that the ammonium nitrate was confiscated from a Russian cargo vessel in 2013 after the ship took a detour from its original destination and docked at the port.
The ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make explosives, was stored at the port for seven years before it blew up with catastrophic consequences. There is ample reason to believe that Hezbollah was responsible for the blast and resulting carnage. The collective evidence is in fact, damning.
First, one must understand that in Lebanon, Hezbollah controls all ports of entry, either directly through force of arms or indirectly, through graft. The obvious purpose is to control the flow of weapons, money and narcotics that pass through these ports of entry. Therefore, it is logical to assume that Hezbollah was aware of the presence of the ammonium nitrate.
In 2008 the Lebanese cabinet headed by the Western-backed Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, attempted to remove security cameras installed by Hezbollah at Beirut International Airport. The cabinet also attempted to remove Brigadier General Wafiq Shkeir, widely regarded as a Hezbollah stooge, from his post as airport security chief. Finally, the government attempted to close separate telecommunication infrastructure that Hezbollah was installing throughout the country.
Hezbollah responded to the cabinet’s challenge with overwhelming military force, imposing its will on the government. The government collapsed and Siniora was forced to resign. From that point on, Hezbollah ceased to be a mini state within Lebanon. Rather it was Lebanon that was transformed into a mini state within Hezbollah.
Second, the swiftness of denials from Hezbollah officials in connection with the blast brings to mind the alacrity with which Iranian authorities denied any culpability in the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. In both cases, bad actors were laying the groundwork for a cover-up. Hezbollah is also opposing efforts to internationalize the investigation, in what appears to be a blatant attempt to thwart transparency.
Third, Hezbollah has in the past attempted to use ammonium nitrate in preparatory stages for attacks against Western targets. Ammonium nitrate stashes linked to Hezbollah were found in London, Cyprus and southern Germany. In the latter case, the stockpiles were uncovered with the help of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service. British authorities stated that their operation was aided by “international partners.” In 2016, Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, threatened to target ammonia storage tanks located in Israel’s third largest city of Haifa. The terror leader stated that the resulting explosion from such an attack would be akin to a nuclear bomb, chuckling as he discussed the matter.
Fourth, the Jerusalem Post’s Seth Frantzman notes that Hezbollah has imported thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate from Syria. Hezbollah worked hard to secure Lebanon’s agricultural ministry for itself to make it easier for the group to acquire the material. It’s clear that Hezbollah was cognizant of ammonium nitrate’s usefulness as a terror weapon and sought to use it for malign activities. It is also a good bet that the ammonium nitrate that exploded on August 4 was requisitioned by Hezbollah.
There are a few more components to this story that cast further suspicion on Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been known to house its munitions in the midst of civilian areas. In 2018, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an address to the UN General Assembly, highlighted areas on a map of Beirut where Hezbollah was storing missiles and other munitions. He noted that one such facility was adjacent to the shoreline.
Following the Beirut explosion, videos began circulating showing the presence of subterranean tunnels that were uncovered as a result of the blast. A reporter from Sky News described what she saw as a “labyrinth of subterranean tunnels.” There could have been a benign explanation for the presence of the tunnels but the Lebanese Army, which acts as an auxiliary force for Hezbollah, quickly denied the presence of any tunnels, leading to suspicion that the tunnels had a more malign purpose, such as to store military hardware.
This theory was bolstered by seismological data suggesting that the Beirut blast was preceded by a series of six explosions, five of which were characterized as being consistent with munitions detonations. Boaz Hayoun, a former military engineering officer and explosives expert said that he compiled the seismic data from an array of sensors. Moreover, Hayoun noted that the 140-foot deep crater left by the blast could not have been accomplished solely by the amount of ammonium nitrate reported by Lebanese authorities.
Lebanon is a failed state that has been subsumed by Hezbollah and by extension, Iran. The explosion that leveled much of Beirut and wreaked so much devastation is a mere symptom of a malignant disease, and the disease is Hezbollah.
..................
Not convinced, nor unconvinced. The blast could have occurred by plain old stupidity and laziness just as easily.
Send a message. Leave a 140 ft deep crater in Tehran.
I think by culpability the author means the presence of the ammonium nitrate in Beirut rather than the trigger for the blast, which I doubt was deliberate. If you’re going to have a country run by a terror group I suppose you have to understand they’re going to keep their “stuff” around. Many people think there are stashes of chemical weapons in the Bekka valley as well.
I still believe that Israel played a role in this explosion.
I still believe that Israel played a role in this explosion.
Typical bullshit from the usual sources...the cargo vessel was not "Russian". The ship was built in Japan, flagged in Moldolvia and carrying a cargo from Georgia to Mozambique when it stalled and had to be towed to Lebanon. The only thing "Russian" about that ship is the country of birth of the business man in Cyprus who bought it.
...who bought it in 2012, less than a year before it was abandoned.
Typical Muslim incompetence
or
Hezbollah evil.
You pick! Everyone’s a winner! (excepting, of course, the truly innocent dead...)
The wharf was at sea level. What tunnels? The 405 foot diameter hole is one huge swimming pool.
Blast needed something beside AN to explode - most likely diesel pumped off one of the nearby ships.
Likely Hezbollah making rocket motors by mixing AN and diesel and letting it dry in the tube. Extra blast oomph provided by rocket warheads. Once made the rockets could be transported anywhere by ship or truck
At the risk of presuming that I can discern the motivations of Hezbollah, I see no reason why they should blow up this port. If they wanted to take a ton at a time away from their store house to use for much smaller Terror blasts, I can certainly understand that. But apparently, the shipment itself was intact as delivered.
I think this is a case of “never attribute to conspiracy what can be explained by simple stupidity”.
AN can be detonated all by itself, no fuel oil required, by moisture and impurities and a little bit of heat. It could have been detonated by a moldy rat turd sitting on top of it, in those open bags.
AN can be detonated all by itself, no fuel oil required, by moisture and impurities and a little bit of heat. It could have been detonated by a moldy rat turd sitting on top of it, in those open bags.
````
Well perhaps, not an expert here, but everyone who has used AN as an explosive, used it mixed with diesel ‘cause that mixture makes a really really big boom.
Its also well known that Hezbollah and others use a AN-diesel slurry to make rocket motors.
How do you know the bags in the warehouse were open? Or even what the AN was stored in once inside the warehouse? Are you a Hezbollah operator stationed in Beirut?:)
Exactly — “the 140-foot deep crater left by the blast could not have been accomplished solely by the amount of ammonium nitrate reported by Lebanese authorities.”
For what purpose? If Israel wanted to destroy a threat to their national security this isn't how they would do it. This was not a military target and they they certainly wouldn't risk killing so many innocent civilians.
Adding diesel to AN means it is super susceptible to detonation at a time of your choosing. Miners commonly use it to shatter an area they wish to break up. But just leaving it piled up in a skanky warehouse leads to the same type of condition as Texas City 1947; where the material was left in a dank ship's hold, got a little moist, and under highish environmental heat.
the bags of AN may or may not have been open, but once a rat chews through the bag, it is/they are.
I am willing to believe that the blast was a Hez operation; I just think it's less likely than 2 or 3 other explanations. I don't see the motivation for Hez blowing up the port, but as I said or implied, my ability to suss out their motivation could be way off. Had the pile been depleted by ton-after-ton of the stuff being snuck out of the warehouse over the 6 years it had been there for nefarious purposes elsewhere, that would be quite understandable. And of course, my alternate explanations/theories do not in any way preclude the blast of 2/3rds the original pile being what you're implying.
Hezbollah caused the Ammonium nitrate explosion
Hezbollah is Ran or at least a surrogate acting as ordered by Iran
Iran is responsible for the destruction of Beruit with ammonium nitrate
QED
“Adding diesel to AN means it is super susceptible to detonation at a time of your choosing”
```
That is the point of using it as a stand alone bomb or as rocket propellant.
There is evidence that more AN was brought in as the original stocks were depleted. The stocks, in any case, were NOT in a ship’s hold as some have implied, but in the warehouse nearest the ships, as evidenced by the photos, the crater location, and the small ship blown out of the water.
The choosing was done by the exploding ammo storage warehouse on the other side of the grain elevator. The reddish smoke was attributed elsewhere to another type of explosive commonly used in ME rocket warheads, but not to AN - as the person (an explosive expert) who made that claim said AN makes a grayish cloud and posted an image to back it up. The small ship is on the beach bottom center just out of the image.
The ammo “fireworks” storage fire began the whole affair - was that deliberate sabotage or poor storage on Hezbollah’s part? Who can say?
Hezbollah owns the port either outright or through proxies.
The ME is so murky that learning the truth of the situation is impossible
Wrong.
From the article:
This theory was bolstered by seismological data suggesting that the Beirut blast was preceded by a series of six explosions, five of which were characterized as being consistent with munitions detonations. Boaz Hayoun, a former military engineering officer and explosives expert said that he compiled the seismic data from an array of sensors. Moreover, Hayoun noted that the 140-foot deep crater left by the blast could not have been accomplished solely by the amount of ammonium nitrate reported by Lebanese authorities.
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.