Leroy N. Soetoro
2020-08-07 01:12:50 UTC
The port is said to be under the 'unofficial' control of Hezbollah
https://www.foxnews.com/world/beirut-blast-hezbollah-port-under-scrutiny
A series of massive explosions rocked Beirut's port on Tuesday a
mushroom cloud rising above the widespread destruction that claimed the
lives of at least 60 people and wounded hundreds more in the Lebanon
capital.
While the cause of the blast has not yet been determined, preliminary
assessments according to intelligence officials in the region and the
United States as of Tuesday afternoon pointed to the disaster as
accidental.
Even so, some have not ruled out more sinister origins pertaining to what
was going on at the critical port, and what was being stored there.
Multiple sources said that much of the operations were under "unofficial"
control of Hezbollah and indications have emerged that a fire broke out at
an explosives depot inside the facility. Several sources also pointed to
organized crime operations run out of the port, primarily controlled by
Hezbollah, and that the explosion potentially involved "multiple
containers" but was not terror-related.
"There is a possibility that fireworks, petrol and weapons were stored
together," another intelligence source noted. "Officially, the blast
happened at the fireworks and petrol warehouse."
The source also stressed that, based on video analysis of the blasts,
there were small explosions right before the second the largest. The
variations in color also indicate that there were fireworks involved, but
it has not been ruled out that other potential weapons and materials were
also in the vicinity.
Ian Bradbury, president of the Canada-based defense consultancy Terra Nova
Strategic Management, pointed out that the heavily-damaged port serves as
the central shipping hub for the country, and is operated by Gestion et
Exploitation du Port de Beyrouth (GEPB), with container operations
subcontracted to a company named Beirut Container Terminal Consortium
(BCTC). The port is considered one of the largest and most active in the
Mediterranean.
"The importation of fireworks is common, and the area seen in the video
shows a known storage location for this type of goods," he continued.
"There is some speculation concerning weapons shipments previously
received or stored within this sector of the port, but as of now,
unconfirmed."
Adding to the murky narrative, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, the head of
Lebanon's General Directorate of General Security, also said in an
immediate televised interview that a container was the source of the
initial fire and explosion. The container had on board confiscated "high
explosive materials," including sodium nitrate. As a result, he noted, it
would be "naive to describe such an explosion as due to fireworks."
Nonetheless, the disaster has propelled Hezbollah into the limelight once
again. For months, Lebanon has been deemed a growing flashpoint for
geopolitical tensions, not only due to the Iran-backed group's nefarious
activities in the region from Yemen to Syria to Iraq but the discord
simmering within the small nation itself.
"Currently, it appears that the explosion in Lebanon was not the result of
a military strike," surmised Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president at
the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). "For now, this explosion
appears to be the result of ineptitude. But the ongoing tensions make it
clear that future explosions may be the result of something more
deliberate. These tensions also come at a particularly bad time for
Lebanon."
A new report released by FDD suggests that Lebanon's financial crisis is
so deep that it will require an estimated $93 billion to mitigate.
In the hours leading up to the explosion, according to local reports, a
swell of anti-government protesters tussled with security forces outside
the ministry of energy as the economic woes for citizens worsen.
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rudolph Atallah, now chief executive officer of
White Mountain Research, and former counterterrorism expert in the Office
of the Secretary of Defense, noted that anxieties inside Lebanon have
skyrocketed over the past months, along with increased opposition to
Hezbollah's grip.
"People are seeing that the food and aid supply coming in for coronavirus
is being sold on the black market by them or going into Syria because
Hezbollah has such a vested interest there," he explained. "And the
disinformation since the explosions has been crazy, with text messages
sent around warning people to stay in their homes. Hezbollah doesn't want
protests, and it doesn't want the Lebanese speaking out against them."
Furthermore, Tuesday's tragedy took place just three days before a United
Nations tribunal is expected to issue a ruling with regards to the 2005
assassination of former Lebanon Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, of which four
alleged Hezbollah members stand accused of its plot and execution.
Supporters of the terrorist outfit have purported to squash news of the
trial and dismissed it as being biased.
Tajuden Soroush, a journalist at the London-based Iran International TV,
also told Fox News that one high ranking Kataeb Hezbollah the notorious
Iran-backed militia known for extreme violence in Iraq is believed to
have been killed so far in this incident.
Nonetheless, theories were quick to sweep the Internet pertaining to
Israel as the force behind the explosions perpetuated further by cross-
border conflicts this week between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. However,
multiple Israeli officials denied any involvement.
Jim Phillips, a senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs at The
Heritage Foundation, underscored that on Monday, the IDF announced that it
had foiled an attempt to infiltrate Israel's border with Syria to plant
explosives a suspected Hezbollah operation and it retaliated by
striking targets in Syria. Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu warned Hezbollah and other terrorist groups operating in Syria
that Israel would not hesitate to take further action if needed.
Yet multiple powers are seemingly turning toward the area for their own
purposes, cementing it as something of a future hot zone, experts warn.
"Over the last few months, there has been a steady buildup of arms from
Iran and China as part of a concerted effort by Iran to consolidate its
footholds in Lebanon and Syria," added weapons defense analyst John Wood.
"Clearly, the plot thickens; the only thing we can be sure of is that
these events will push Lebanon into further political and economic chaos,
at a time when the nation is already on the brink of collapse."
--
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Donald J. Trump, 304 electoral votes to 227, defeated compulsive liar in
denial Hillary Rodham Clinton on December 19th, 2016. The clown car
parade of the democrat party ran out of gas and got run over by a Trump
truck.
Congratulations President Trump. Thank you for cleaning up the disaster
of the Obama presidency.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump has boosted the economy, reduced illegal immigration,
appointed dozens of judges and created jobs.
Senile loser and NAMBLA supporter Nancy Pelosi got "Trumped" on February
5, 2020. "President Trump, Not Guilty."
https://www.foxnews.com/world/beirut-blast-hezbollah-port-under-scrutiny
A series of massive explosions rocked Beirut's port on Tuesday a
mushroom cloud rising above the widespread destruction that claimed the
lives of at least 60 people and wounded hundreds more in the Lebanon
capital.
While the cause of the blast has not yet been determined, preliminary
assessments according to intelligence officials in the region and the
United States as of Tuesday afternoon pointed to the disaster as
accidental.
Even so, some have not ruled out more sinister origins pertaining to what
was going on at the critical port, and what was being stored there.
Multiple sources said that much of the operations were under "unofficial"
control of Hezbollah and indications have emerged that a fire broke out at
an explosives depot inside the facility. Several sources also pointed to
organized crime operations run out of the port, primarily controlled by
Hezbollah, and that the explosion potentially involved "multiple
containers" but was not terror-related.
"There is a possibility that fireworks, petrol and weapons were stored
together," another intelligence source noted. "Officially, the blast
happened at the fireworks and petrol warehouse."
The source also stressed that, based on video analysis of the blasts,
there were small explosions right before the second the largest. The
variations in color also indicate that there were fireworks involved, but
it has not been ruled out that other potential weapons and materials were
also in the vicinity.
Ian Bradbury, president of the Canada-based defense consultancy Terra Nova
Strategic Management, pointed out that the heavily-damaged port serves as
the central shipping hub for the country, and is operated by Gestion et
Exploitation du Port de Beyrouth (GEPB), with container operations
subcontracted to a company named Beirut Container Terminal Consortium
(BCTC). The port is considered one of the largest and most active in the
Mediterranean.
"The importation of fireworks is common, and the area seen in the video
shows a known storage location for this type of goods," he continued.
"There is some speculation concerning weapons shipments previously
received or stored within this sector of the port, but as of now,
unconfirmed."
Adding to the murky narrative, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, the head of
Lebanon's General Directorate of General Security, also said in an
immediate televised interview that a container was the source of the
initial fire and explosion. The container had on board confiscated "high
explosive materials," including sodium nitrate. As a result, he noted, it
would be "naive to describe such an explosion as due to fireworks."
Nonetheless, the disaster has propelled Hezbollah into the limelight once
again. For months, Lebanon has been deemed a growing flashpoint for
geopolitical tensions, not only due to the Iran-backed group's nefarious
activities in the region from Yemen to Syria to Iraq but the discord
simmering within the small nation itself.
"Currently, it appears that the explosion in Lebanon was not the result of
a military strike," surmised Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president at
the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). "For now, this explosion
appears to be the result of ineptitude. But the ongoing tensions make it
clear that future explosions may be the result of something more
deliberate. These tensions also come at a particularly bad time for
Lebanon."
A new report released by FDD suggests that Lebanon's financial crisis is
so deep that it will require an estimated $93 billion to mitigate.
In the hours leading up to the explosion, according to local reports, a
swell of anti-government protesters tussled with security forces outside
the ministry of energy as the economic woes for citizens worsen.
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rudolph Atallah, now chief executive officer of
White Mountain Research, and former counterterrorism expert in the Office
of the Secretary of Defense, noted that anxieties inside Lebanon have
skyrocketed over the past months, along with increased opposition to
Hezbollah's grip.
"People are seeing that the food and aid supply coming in for coronavirus
is being sold on the black market by them or going into Syria because
Hezbollah has such a vested interest there," he explained. "And the
disinformation since the explosions has been crazy, with text messages
sent around warning people to stay in their homes. Hezbollah doesn't want
protests, and it doesn't want the Lebanese speaking out against them."
Furthermore, Tuesday's tragedy took place just three days before a United
Nations tribunal is expected to issue a ruling with regards to the 2005
assassination of former Lebanon Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, of which four
alleged Hezbollah members stand accused of its plot and execution.
Supporters of the terrorist outfit have purported to squash news of the
trial and dismissed it as being biased.
Tajuden Soroush, a journalist at the London-based Iran International TV,
also told Fox News that one high ranking Kataeb Hezbollah the notorious
Iran-backed militia known for extreme violence in Iraq is believed to
have been killed so far in this incident.
Nonetheless, theories were quick to sweep the Internet pertaining to
Israel as the force behind the explosions perpetuated further by cross-
border conflicts this week between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. However,
multiple Israeli officials denied any involvement.
Jim Phillips, a senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs at The
Heritage Foundation, underscored that on Monday, the IDF announced that it
had foiled an attempt to infiltrate Israel's border with Syria to plant
explosives a suspected Hezbollah operation and it retaliated by
striking targets in Syria. Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu warned Hezbollah and other terrorist groups operating in Syria
that Israel would not hesitate to take further action if needed.
Yet multiple powers are seemingly turning toward the area for their own
purposes, cementing it as something of a future hot zone, experts warn.
"Over the last few months, there has been a steady buildup of arms from
Iran and China as part of a concerted effort by Iran to consolidate its
footholds in Lebanon and Syria," added weapons defense analyst John Wood.
"Clearly, the plot thickens; the only thing we can be sure of is that
these events will push Lebanon into further political and economic chaos,
at a time when the nation is already on the brink of collapse."
--
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Donald J. Trump, 304 electoral votes to 227, defeated compulsive liar in
denial Hillary Rodham Clinton on December 19th, 2016. The clown car
parade of the democrat party ran out of gas and got run over by a Trump
truck.
Congratulations President Trump. Thank you for cleaning up the disaster
of the Obama presidency.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump has boosted the economy, reduced illegal immigration,
appointed dozens of judges and created jobs.
Senile loser and NAMBLA supporter Nancy Pelosi got "Trumped" on February
5, 2020. "President Trump, Not Guilty."