Last night, Israel offered to provide humanitarian aid to Lebanon after explosions at a port in Beirut killed over 100 people and injured more than 4,000.
Though the cause of the blast remains unconfirmed, Lebanese Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi said it appeared the explosion was caused by the detonation of over 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the dock. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that the stocks of chemicals had been stored unsafely in a warehouse since 2014, amid speculation that the cargo had been confiscated from a Russian-owned ship. Initial reports had indicated that a store of fireworks had exploded near the port’s silo area.
Videos from the scene showed what seemed to be a fire breaking out, which then spread to a nearby building and triggered a large explosion that produced a mushroom cloud and visible blast wave felt across the capital. Much of the port was destroyed, with footage showing damaged cars, buildings, and windows shattered for miles.
It is believed that around 85% of Lebanon’s grain supply was contaminated, as the blast devastated the port’s major grain silos run by the Lebanese Ministry of Economy and Trade. Already facing an economic crisis and rising cases of Covid-19, Lebanon’s reliance on exports has caused widespread fears of food insecurity.
In a joint statement, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi confirmed that Israel had offered assistance to the country: “Israel approached Lebanon through international defence and diplomatic channels to offer the Lebanese government medical humanitarian aid”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed his National Security Adviser to work with UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov to provide support.
President Reuven Rivlin added that “we share the pain of the Lebanese people and sincerely reach out to offer our aid at this difficult time”, in tweets in Arabic, English and Hebrew, and the Israel Defense Forces stated that “this is the time to transcend conflict”.
