08-04-2020, 02:28 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-04-2020, 06:36 PM by John J. Xenakis.)
** 04-Aug-2020 World View: Massive explosion in Beirut Lebanon [Updated]
Several hours ago (early evening Lebanon time) there were massive
explosions in the seaport area of the capital city Lebanon, in a
crowded residential area. Dozens of people were killed, and thousands
injured. Broken glass was flying all over the city.
![[Image: smoke-rises-after-an-explosion-in-beirut...b20100.jpg]](https://www.hindustantimes.com/rf/image_size_960x540/HT/p2/2020/08/04/Pictures/smoke-rises-after-an-explosion-in-beirut_5a7c84fe-d674-11ea-a8fc-c49ed8b20100.jpg)
According to officials, the explosion was of "explosive materials"
that had been stored at the seaport for years. However, there is no
word yet on whether the explosion was an industrial accident or an
assassination.
According to one report, the explosive materials were fertilizer and
ammonium nitrate. There are many questions about why ammonium nitrate
was stored for years at the seaport.
There was a massive car bombing explosion in Beirut in May 2005,
assassinating the extremely popular former prime minister Rafiq
Hariri.
** 2-May-2005 World View -- Massive Beirut explosion killing Rafiq Hariri puts Lebanon into state of shock
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/x...tm#e050216
Hariri was the leader of the Sunni faction in Lebanon, and it was
believed that a Shia group, Hezbollah or Syria's Bashar al-Assad,
under the orders of the Shia puppetmasters in Iran, was responsible
for the responsible for that bombing. Those accusations infuriated
Iran and Hezbollah and they threatened revenge if they were blamed.
However, an international commission has been investigating, and
they're scheduled to release their findings in three days from now on
Friday. It was already widely feared that the commission report would
lead to violence, and that has led to speculation that today's bombing
was anticipatory violence, since the report is expected to blame
Syria.
The country Lebanon is on the verge of collapse. Nearly 50% of the
population are living in poverty, and that was before the Wuhan
Coronavirus crisis began, which is making things much worse.
The country is in free fall. The currency has collapsed. The
unemployment rate is over 30%. Life savings in banks are now worth
nothing. The health care system was overwhelmed before today. A
tainted fuel oil scandal revealed enormous corruption -- bribes,
forged documents, and falsified tests. There's little electricity.
There's little garbage pickup.
It's now being assumed that storing fertilizer and ammonium nitrate at
the seaport was just another example of corruption. That will be
investigated. Will this be the trigger for total collapse of Lebanon?
We'll wait and see.
** 17-Jul-20 World View -- Lebanon: A country in free fall
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/x...tm#e200717
[Updated: 14:57 ET]
*** Update 18:30 ET -- Trump: Explosion was an attack
At a press conference, president Trump said that the generals
he's spoken to feel that the Beirut explosion was an attack,
not a manufacturing event. It seems to be an attack, a bomb of some kind.
---- Sources:
-- ‘Like an earthquake’: Huge explosion rips through Beirut captured on video
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-new...eAnNI.html
(AFP, 4-Aug-2020)
-- Huge explosion rocks Lebanon's capital Beirut: Live updates
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/h...20414.html
(Al-Jazeera, 4-Aug-2020)
Several hours ago (early evening Lebanon time) there were massive
explosions in the seaport area of the capital city Lebanon, in a
crowded residential area. Dozens of people were killed, and thousands
injured. Broken glass was flying all over the city.
- Smoke rises after an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon August 4,
2020, in this picture obtained from a social media video.(Reuters
photo)
According to officials, the explosion was of "explosive materials"
that had been stored at the seaport for years. However, there is no
word yet on whether the explosion was an industrial accident or an
assassination.
According to one report, the explosive materials were fertilizer and
ammonium nitrate. There are many questions about why ammonium nitrate
was stored for years at the seaport.
There was a massive car bombing explosion in Beirut in May 2005,
assassinating the extremely popular former prime minister Rafiq
Hariri.
** 2-May-2005 World View -- Massive Beirut explosion killing Rafiq Hariri puts Lebanon into state of shock
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/x...tm#e050216
Hariri was the leader of the Sunni faction in Lebanon, and it was
believed that a Shia group, Hezbollah or Syria's Bashar al-Assad,
under the orders of the Shia puppetmasters in Iran, was responsible
for the responsible for that bombing. Those accusations infuriated
Iran and Hezbollah and they threatened revenge if they were blamed.
However, an international commission has been investigating, and
they're scheduled to release their findings in three days from now on
Friday. It was already widely feared that the commission report would
lead to violence, and that has led to speculation that today's bombing
was anticipatory violence, since the report is expected to blame
Syria.
The country Lebanon is on the verge of collapse. Nearly 50% of the
population are living in poverty, and that was before the Wuhan
Coronavirus crisis began, which is making things much worse.
The country is in free fall. The currency has collapsed. The
unemployment rate is over 30%. Life savings in banks are now worth
nothing. The health care system was overwhelmed before today. A
tainted fuel oil scandal revealed enormous corruption -- bribes,
forged documents, and falsified tests. There's little electricity.
There's little garbage pickup.
It's now being assumed that storing fertilizer and ammonium nitrate at
the seaport was just another example of corruption. That will be
investigated. Will this be the trigger for total collapse of Lebanon?
We'll wait and see.
** 17-Jul-20 World View -- Lebanon: A country in free fall
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/x...tm#e200717
[Updated: 14:57 ET]
*** Update 18:30 ET -- Trump: Explosion was an attack
At a press conference, president Trump said that the generals
he's spoken to feel that the Beirut explosion was an attack,
not a manufacturing event. It seems to be an attack, a bomb of some kind.
---- Sources:
-- ‘Like an earthquake’: Huge explosion rips through Beirut captured on video
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-new...eAnNI.html
(AFP, 4-Aug-2020)
-- Huge explosion rocks Lebanon's capital Beirut: Live updates
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/h...20414.html
(Al-Jazeera, 4-Aug-2020)
