Beirut explosion: Lebanon PM laments 'catastrophe' that killed at least 100 and wounded 4,000 - live updates [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) August 5, 2020

Beirut Blast Wrap-up | MofA |

In 2013 Lebanese authorities arrested a ship (pdf) that had been abandoned by its owner.

On 23/9/2013, m/v Rhosus, flying the Moldovian flag, sailed from Batumi Port, Georgia heading to Biera in Mozambique carrying 2,750 tons of Ammonium Nitrate in bulk.

...
The ammonium nitrate was stored in a quayside warehouse. The picture shows the 1,000 kilogram big bags labeled "Nitroprill HD" in bad storage conditions at the 'Hanger 12' warehouse in Beirut.

"Nitroprill HD" is a knock-off product of the trademarked Nitropril, a premium grade porous prilled ammonium nitrate manufactured and sold by the Orica Mining Services in Australia. It is used as a commercial explosive in mining and quarrying. The safety sheet of the original product says it "May explode under confinement and high temperature, but not readily detonated. May explode due to nearby detonations."

Warnings by Port Authority left unheeded | Al Jazeera |

The ship's dangerous cargo was then offloaded and placed in Hangar 12 of Beirut port, a large grey structure facing the country's main north-south highway at the main entrance to the capital.

Months later, on June 27, 2014, then-director of Lebanese Customs Shafik Merhi sent a letter addressed to an unnamed "Urgent Matters judge", asking for a solution to the cargo, according to documents shared online.

Customs officials sent at least five more letters over the next three years - on December 5, 2014, May 6, 2015, May 20, 2016, October 13, 2016, and October 27, 2017 - asking for guidance. They proposed three options: Export the ammonium nitrate, hand it over to the Lebanese Army, or sell it to the privately-owned Lebanese Explosives Company.

ممكن حدا يخبرنا مين القاضي العظيم اللي نيم هيدي القضية وليش؟
صراحة شي ببكي على حالنا @MarieClaudeNajm pic.twitter.com/EuPy7loktF

— Wadih AL-ASMAR (@walasmar) August 4, 2020

One letter sent in 2016 noted there had been "no reply" from judges to previous requests.

It pleaded: "In view of the serious danger of keeping these goods in the hangar in unsuitable climatic conditions, we reaffirm our request to please request the marine agency to re-export these goods immediately to preserve the safety of the port and those working in it, or to look into agreeing to sell this amount" to the Lebanese Explosives Company.

Again, there was no reply.

A year later, Badri Daher, the new Lebanese Customs Administration director, wrote to a judge once again.

In the October 27, 2017, letter, Daher urged the judge to come to a decision on the matter in view of "the danger ... of leaving these goods in the place they are, and to those working there".

The damage in Beirut port is apocalyptic pic.twitter.com/8xWuzCmz1o

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) August 5, 2020

A massive private holding company bought out the entirety of the downtown area - which had been the front line between the two divided halves of Beirut - promising to build a shiny new city out of its ruins. One that would look very much like the pre-war city, with its romantic, pale-yellow mandate-era buildings, but sleeker and more modernized. For a single private company to acquire so much prime land - most of which still technically belonged to the homeowners and shopkeepers and businesses who had waited fifteen long years to reclaim their holdings; some of which was public property and belonged to the municipality and hence the people - required certain zoning and property laws to be rewritten outright. There was very little outcry, except from those who had been swindled out of what they owned. At the time, too many people were invested, either financially or emotionally, in seeing the war come to an end to care about how the city's future might be made to emerge from the rubble of its past.

Downtown Beirut went from blasted wasteland to massive construction site overnight, with individual lots encircled by steel fences, upon which were digitally rendered images of the buildings that would sprout there, the apartments they would house, and the people who might live there (a vast majority of whom were inexplicably blond). There were also always a few lines of copy richly proclaiming the virtues of these soon-to-be dwellings. Some variation of "exclusive private luxury in the heart of the city" or else "luxurious private exclusivity." Really, the most the copywriters could be bothered with was to scramble the order of these words, occasionally also throwing in promises like "haven" and "retreat" and "elegant" and "singular views."

[...] The holding company's slogan, etched into the hundreds upon hundreds of cement barricades erected to mark the limits of its empire, declared Beirut "an ancient city for the future." A rebranding of the old national myth, one predicated on continuous destruction: Beirut, the phoenix, the city that had been destroyed and rebuilt seven times over the centuries would yet once more rise, glorious and triumphant, from the ash.

Israel offers Lebanon medical assistance after Beirut blast | Al-Monitor |

According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the mediators who reached out to Lebanon on behalf of Israel were France and the United Nations' peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL.

"We share the pain of the Lebanese people and sincerely reach out to offer our aid at this difficult time," Israeli President Reuven Rivlin tweeted.

...
An unnamed Israeli intelligence official told The New York Times that Israel was not involved in Tuesday's explosion in Beirut.

Tensions remain high between Israel and Hezbollah. The militant group has vowed retaliation for a June 20 Israeli strike outside the Syrian capital of Damascus that killed one of its senior fighters. Israel has since deployed additional forces in the Galilee and last week announced the military foiled a Hezbollah raid along its northern border.

The Israeli military's Arabic spokesperson tweeted in the wake of the blast Tuesday that "this is the time to transcend conflict" and focus on providing humanitarian support.

In addition to Israel, a number of countries pledged to come to Lebanon's aid. Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said Iran is prepared to help "in any way necessary," and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States stands "ready to assist the people of Lebanon as they recover from this horrible tragedy."

The Special Tribunal is deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic news from Lebanon. We express our solidarity with the Lebanese people and, our thoughts are with them in this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/zpTdlSVqqz

— Special Tribunal for Lebanon (@STLebanon) August 5, 2020

Lebanese MP Marwan Hamadeh resigns from parliament during a live interview on Al Arabiya, saying that he no longer felt honored to be part of an "ineffective government" following the deadly explosions that erupted in the port of #Beirut.#Lebanon[_link] pic.twitter.com/mHuZbFMe5h

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) August 5, 2020

Remembering my days working at Beirut Port... and tracing the rot and decline that led to its obliteration along with much of the city. [_link]

— Faysal Itani (@faysalitani) August 5, 2020

Iran's first batch of aid consisting of 9 tons of foodstuff, medicine & medical equipment arrived in #Beirut.

The first Iranian field hospital in Beirut, running and operational at the moment.

A 22-member medical team is now working tirelessly in Beirut to provide help. pic.twitter.com/RhHKgyt3NN

— Mehrdad Torabi (@mehrdadt1987) August 5, 2020

US-Israel meeting: When is the Hezbollah response expected? [_link]

— Elijah J. Magnier (@ejmalrai) July 28, 2020

While offering medical supplies to Lebanon through UN Reliëf Agency ...

IDF Chief of Staff orders the northern command in the IDF to stay on high alert.

— 🇱🇧 Lebanese News and Updates (@UpdatesLebanese) August 5, 2020

At this difficult time, the #EU stands by the people of #Lebanon. We are now coordinating the deployment of over a 100 highly trained firefighters,with vehicles, dogs & equipment, specialised in search & rescue to help save lives in #Beirut. My statement👇[_link]

— Janez Lenarčič (@JanezLenarcic) August 5, 2020

Beirut death toll rises to at least 135 ... | CNBC News |

'Sapere aude'

The question I continue to ask myself is WHY fireworks (or whatever else you wish to speculate about) were stored at a dock labeled specifically for grain storage.

The Port of #Beirut has a warehouse for hazardous goods. Why not store them there? pic.twitter.com/vpSOpn966d

— The Intel Crab (@IntelCrab) August 4, 2020

🇱🇧 #Beirut residents are struggling to wrap their heads around Tuesday's devastating blast.

"I can't describe the scene. It is painful," said one resident. @cathie_france24 has more on the aftermath of the explosion ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/wStLBqVdhH

— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) August 5, 2020

Lebanon's crisis complicated by Gulf rivalry | FT - Jan. 2019 |

Lebanon is used to thriving on the edge of a financial precipice but its current crisis is complicated by the interjection of Gulf rivalry.

Qatar has shown its support in dollars, 500m of them in a last-minute bond purchase, along with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani's presence at the Arab summit in Beirut, which no other Gulf leaders attended. Unwilling to be outdone, Saudi Arabia's finance minister verbally pledged support for Lebanon on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar increasingly see their roles as arbiters of regional politics, as well as a prime source of development finance. Gulf states are increasingly using direct financial support to expand their influence across the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and into Pakistan. The end goals of these direct central bank deposits and commitments of foreign investment are vague, as is the conditionality of their acceptance.

The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the UAE on one side and Qatar on the other is bound to bring instability to Lebanon's already fragile politics and finances. Saudi Arabia has long been a source of external support to Lebanon in direct aid and loans, and through remittance flows, investments in construction and real estate and, until recently, a steady stream of Saudi visitors flush with cash on summer holidays.

Gulf money flowed into Egypt of Gen. al-Sisi to expand the Suez canal and industrial investments. Former president Morsi was from the Muslim Brotherhood and supported by the Obama/Clinton administration, Turkey of Erdogan and Qatar. Qatar money also flowed to Hamas which helped to oust former dictator Mubarak and freed Morsi through a violent jail break.

○ Lebanon's Saad Hariri held hostage by Crown Prince Salman in the Kingdom

From the diaries ...

○ Lebanon's Choice: Pro Colonial West or Shia Terror

'Sapere aude'

I'm not paying to amplify their reach.

I've counted cargo planes from Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, Tunisia, Jordan, Turkey (and France, Germany, NL, Italy, Russia, UK and more)

- Where are the Saudis??

pic: AFP, REUTERS#Beirut #Beirut_Explosion pic.twitter.com/WHf1qjyGRJ

— avi scharf (@avischarf) August 6, 2020

Why experts believe fireworks, ammonium nitrate likely fueled Beirut explosion | Explained [_link]

— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) August 6, 2020

Macron mobbed in Beirut. Down with the regime, locals chanted, and called for Revolution while declaiming Lebanon's President Aoun. pic.twitter.com/4ntkZToUFj

— Quentin Sommerville (@sommervilletv) August 6, 2020

« Le Liban n'est pas seul » : Emmanuel Macron sur les lieux de la catastrophe au Liban [_link]

— Le Monde Politique (@lemonde_pol) August 6, 2020

"No reform, no money," Macron tells Lebanese leaders.
Writes @Malbrunot [_link] pic.twitter.com/q6cz7Ba9uh

— Joshua Landis (@joshua_landis) August 6, 2020

A lot of hay has been made about Iranian-Turkish rapprochement, but it seems like the UAE is also thinking very long and hard about what its relationship with Iran would look like in a post-American order. [_link]

— Matthew Petti (@matthew_petti) August 2, 2020

In a battle over gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey's bold maritime claims have spurred a new alliance of Greece, Israel, Cyprus and Egypt

By @yarotrof

France & KSA are also angered by Turkey's move into Libya. US, oddly, sides w Turkey. [_link] pic.twitter.com/AfDJYuiOAO

— Joshua Landis (@joshua_landis) August 3, 2020

Mais rassurez-vous, l'explosion au Liban était un "accident".

Joshua Landis Retweet ...

I spoke to Aaron Mate @aaronjmate about his @thenation piece on Syria, chemical weapons & leaks from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons that the media refuses to talk about. The documents in and of themselves warrant coverage. [_link]

— Katie Halper (@kthalps) August 1, 2020

Did Trump Bomb Syria on False Grounds? | The Nation |

From the diaries ...

The Hague: OPCW Crisis Deepens

British Media and the Headline OPCW Report

Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018

My diary ...

1 - 2 - 3 TO WAR :: 3 - 2 - 1 FIRE!

'Sapere aude'