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Negligence probed in deadly Beirut blast amid public anger

31 Comments
By BASSEM MROUE, ZEINA KARAM and SARAH EL DEEB

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31 Comments
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Poor tragic Lebanon. My heart goes out to them as they confront this latest catastrophe.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

That explosion seemed like some kinda nukes there!

0 ( +5 / -5 )

That explosion was a monster. Not a terrorist attack like Trump assumed, but still, for once, he would have been right: nobody has ever seen anything like it! The world should show good will by sending medical and financial assistance and help the Lebanese to clean up the devastation amidst the virus contagion.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

It's already been established that the ship and cargo was owned by a Russian/Cypriot "businessman" named Igor Grechushkin who abandoned it in Beirut five years ago.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/08/rhosus-beirut-nitrate-ship-explosion.html

What on earth was the clown gibbering about at his press conference?

7 ( +10 / -3 )

nobody has ever seen anything like it!

Unfortunately, we saw it five years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSZGVbhORG4

4 ( +4 / -0 )

In an off the cuff remark Trump called it an attack. So now we have to go through the usual charade of US government officials pretending it was whatever the stable genius said it was despite all evidence to the contrary. Expect a weather service map of Lebanon with a picture of a bomb crudely drawn in marker on it to make an appearance at the next White House press briefing.

6 ( +12 / -6 )

Hang on... I thought Trump said this was a bombing, told to him by US generals, who now say they have no idea where he got it from. So, who's lying? I'm guessing not the generals.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

This Is why it’s important to have a healthy, robust, independent civil service headed by career officials. Beware those who would like to outsource every last function or put their son-in-law in charge of everything.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

This is a massive tragedy, a great city half destroyed, 100s dead and 1000s hurt - many more made homeless. And yet for some here, all that matters less than what Trump said about it in a comment. Disgusting.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

No way and no way. First Lebanon. Then a huge famous mall in the UAE. And then a huge warehouse inferno in IRAQ. NO FREAKING WAY.

https://twitter.com/Ninja_StuntZ/status/1291051744928174082

https://twitter.com/Mike_Ikahihifo/status/1291051465637654529

1 ( +1 / -0 )

commanteer: "And yet for some here, all that matters less than what Trump said about it in a comment. Disgusting."

Deflection from a trump supporter, my my, wonders never cease. No one says it is ALL that matters, but only you seem to think it does not matter at all, when it very much does. When the so-called leader of the free world (not that he wants it to be) immediately throws out the suggestion that it's a bombing, it can greatly hinder all the victims you feign to care about, and more importantly the response of not only the nation in question but also those who could otherwise much more freely provide assistance. There is a reason the WH is scrambling to distance themselves from the presidents remarks and even generals saying they have no idea what Trump was talking about, and that's that it matters -- a lot! In fact, it's very telling that you don't condemn the careless and baseless remarks at all, and instead attempt to call those who do "disgusting". Hence, the deflection.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

This is a massive tragedy, a great city half destroyed, 100s dead and 1000s hurt - many more made homeless. And yet for some here, all that matters less than what Trump said about it in a comment. Disgusting.

I note that the main point you are making is also focused on Trump rather than the actual incident itself.

Epic "Trying to claim the moral high ground" fail there.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Trump supporters love to be victims.

Clearly it wasn't a terrorist attack as claimed by the moron in question. Just pure incompetence. Heads will roll, possibly literally...

1 ( +3 / -2 )

When you'r late for work or your car has a puncture and you think your having a difficult time, this disaster, with its picture of total devastation just put's all of your problems into perspective, these people have a huge problem, my heart goes out to them. As for the port authorities and politicians they all need to be brought before a commit of independent experts and explain to them why was this A,N stored for so long in hot conditions in a ware house. The bigger problem is who is going to pay for the repairs to the buildings? who is going to compensate business and families for the losses? I do believe the death toll is going to climb some more as some of those badly injured succumb to their horrific injuries.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Clearly it wasn't a terrorist attack as claimed by the moron in question. Just pure incompetence. Heads will roll, possibly literally.

How would you know that? He specifically said based on intel he received from senior officials at the State Department. So if anyone is a moron, it’s the people that told him.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

How would you know that? 

Everyone with knowledge of the event agreed, including the Pentagon, that it was not an attack.

He specifically said based on intel he received from senior officials at the State Department

No, he didn't.

So if anyone is a moron, it’s the people that told him.

No, it's him.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

commanteer: "And yet for some here, all that matters less than what Trump said about it in a comment. Disgusting."

smithinjapan: "Deflection from a trump supporter, my my, wonders never cease."

smithinjapan just proved commanteer's point.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Madverts

Clearly it wasn't a terrorist attack as claimed by the moron in question. Just pure incompetence. Heads will roll, possibly literally...

I too think this was an accident, but I do not claim to know for sure and do not rule anything out yet. Where do you get your "clarity" from?

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

This is a massive tragedy, a great city half destroyed, 100s dead and 1000s hurt - many more made homeless. And yet for some here, all that matters less than what Trump said about it in a comment. Disgusting.

I'm sure you were as equally disgusted & scathing when Trump babbled on about his great TV ratings in his corona briefings (159,000 dead). You were, weren't you?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Everyone with knowledge of the event agreed, including the Pentagon, that it was not an attack.

Then the people in the State Department that told him so should be Reprimanded!.

No, it's him

I disagree. Fire the people that told him.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Everyone with knowledge of the event agreed, including the Pentagon, that it was not an attack.

Then the people in the State Department that told him so should be Reprimanded!.

Ridiculous - Trump did what he always does - opens his mouth before he knows what has occurred - and we all know he doesn't listen to any "expert"...

No, it's him

I disagree. Fire the people that told him.

We'll be firing the person in Nov that told us COVID was "contained", was just "one person from China". and that it would "magically disappear".... You know, the guy that can't pronounce "Yosemite"....

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Ridiculous - Trump did what he always does - opens his mouth before he knows what has occurred - and we all know he doesn't listen to any "expert"...

You can “factually” confirm this? I keep forgetting, liberals can factually conjure up anything they believe.

We'll be firing the person in Nov

Don’t be so sure, doesn’t look like it, more like how will Biden and Dems take to a Trump second term, will they go quietly or do a Hillary again and pout?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Trump is a hardworking man

Trump is the lazy man’s image of a hard working man.

I’d hardly consider a man who golfs and watches Fox News all day, a hard worker.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

"hat explosion was a monster. Not a terrorist attack like Trump assumed, but still, for once, he would have been right: nobody has ever seen anything like it! The world should show good will by sending medical and financial assistance and help the Lebanese to clean up the devastation amidst the virus contagion."

Read about the 1947 Texas City Disaster. Two shiploads and a dockside warehouse full of the same material blew up, setting off a chain reaction of oil refineries, chemical plants and fuel storage sites blowing up. Two aircraft were blown out of the sky, 418 known dead including all but one member of the Texas City Fire Department and over a hundred more were reported missing but no remains found. 1000 buildings were flattened. So the world has seen worse sadly.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

"Maybe this will finally be the end of the despicable Aoun government, led by the former military leader who fought to expel Assad senior's forces only to later end up in bed with his son, and Hezbollah. Domestic terrorism at its finest.'

It is not an easy thing to govern a nation like Lebanon. There are three important religious groups, Sunni, Shiite and Christian plus a small but influential offshoot of Shia, the Druze, and each of the major religious groups dislikes if not outright hates the other two, considers them apostates and each of these groups grapples for power and wealth in the nation. These religious groups vote for their co-religionists regardless of their worth as a leader and each group demands their co-religionists in Parliament and in the civil service deliver the goods to them and only them at the expense of the others. Shiites traditionally had the lowest stature in Lebanon regardless of their numbers (they outnumber Christians and Sunnis) until Hezbollah with Iranian assistance gave them real power. Nothing short of a very bloody war will cause Hezbollah to relinquish its power either. The real problem is the Lebanese people themselves. They are clannish and refuse to treat each other as equals and share their physically beautiful country.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

"Trump says a lot of stuff. Can any of it actually be trusted as being based in reality? "

Mr. Trump is a classic fast talking, lying huckster. Say anything, true or not, to close the deal. Sound smart even if you are dumber than a box of rocks then get indignant if you are challenged. People like him are everywhere in sales. Mr. Trump has never worked for anyone in his whole life and has never led a really large, complex organization. He has always worked with a very small team of loyalists. Governments in a elected representative government are not run by loyalists. Good leaders have to know how to compromise and bring people along with them. He is also not used to a civil service that operates under rules he can't just change as he wishes and he can't fire someone for displeasing him. That is a good thing to as it shields the civil service from becoming a corrupt patronage organization like you find in dictatorships. Hopefully the US is rid of him by January.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Haha! Working hard on his swing, not much else.

If that were even mildly true Dems wouldn’t be angry all the time.

Mr. Trump is a classic fast talking, lying huckster

Nothing compared to the lies of the Washington establishment.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Nothing compared to the lies of the Washington establishment.

Trump literally is the Washington establishment right now. Literally. Not like when a fat person says "If I don't eat I'll literally die" using it as an exaggeration, but in the literal meaning, where it literally means that what is written is the literal truth. Trump is literally the establishment.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

The cause of the blast is yet to be confirmed – but it has been linked to a warehouse at the city’s port, close to populated areas, which was storing extremely dangerous explosive material. Lebanense officials are investigating exactly how the disaster happened, with the country’s prime minister vowing that those responsible for an explosion at a “dangerous” warehouse would “pay the price”. Hassan Diab said: “I promise you that this catastrophe will not pass without accountability. Those responsible will pay the price.

https://worldabcnews.com/beirut-explosion-terrifying-impact-of-lebanon-blast-laid-bare-in-chilling-london-map-world-news/

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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