What Really Happened at the Port of Beirut?

(By Dr Mordechai Kedar)

The official report of the Lebanese authorities on the massive August 4 explosion at the Port of Beirut is that a warehouse near the water containing 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded. They claim that this material had been in the warehouse for over six years, with the approval of the court, and confirmed this claim with documentation.

With all due respect to the Lebanese authorities, I do not buy this story. I believe that explosives, ammunition, and missile fuel (which are highly volatile and flammable substances) were stored by Hezbollah in this warehouse after being shipped from Iran. There are several reasons why I believe this.

1. a)There was a series of at least three explosions, each of which had a different result. The first created a gray column of smoke that remained for several minutes. The second, a column of red smoke, also remained for several minutes, while the third created a white mushroom cloud that dissipated within seconds. This suggests that at least three different materials were stored in that warehouse (see video).
2. b) Anyone familiar with how a port operates knows that the front row of warehouses, which are closest to the water, are used for short-term storage. Cargo that is meant to be stored long-term is moved to warehouses further away from the water.
3. c) Anyone who ships sensitive cargo and does not want it to be seen, photographed, or targeted by others from air, space, or ground tries to hide it as close as possible to the water. The warehouse that exploded was on the water’s edge.
4. d) After Israel (according to foreign sources) attacked the warehouses at Damascus Airport several times, Beirut Seaport replaced Damascus Airport as the destination for Hezbollah’s ammunition and explosives imports from Iran. What used to arrive at Damascus Airport by air is now brought to Beirut by ship. For Hezbollah’s purposes, the warehouses at the port of Beirut have replaced the warehouses of Damascus Airport.
5. e) What probably happened on August 4 was an explosion of volatile and flammable materials that were incorrectly stored by Hezbollah for at least a day in a metal, non-airconditioned warehouse. As it is midsummer, temperatures are very high. I believe missile-fuel fumes evaporated from a container and touched the hot wall or ceiling, where they ignited and caused a chain reaction of explosions.
6. f) Less than an hour after the explosions, Hezbollah announced that the exploded material was ammonium nitrate. Hezbollah was the first to report it. The reason: Hezbollah was looking for a way to cover up its own negligence and establish an official version that deflected attention away from itself, because no one in the government would dare contradict them.

I suspect that very few people in Lebanon buy Hezbollah’s version of the story. I think Hassan Nasrallah is viewed by the Iranians and, indeed, by his own friends in Hezbollah as personally responsible for this disaster. 

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UN to accept UNIFIL has not done its job?

Ahead of tomorrow's special meeting of the United Nations Security Council, UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer visited the Israel-Lebanon border to examine the Hezbollah terror tunnels that have just been discovered.

The cross-border tunnels, a massive, multi-million dollar building project financed and masterminded by the Islamic Republic of Iran, were designed for a Hezbollah surprise attack against Israel in which gunmen would suddenly emerge into nearby Israeli towns, in order to kidnap and murder civilians.

The tunnels dug under and into Israel by Iran's proxy terrorist organization amount to a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701—which prohibits any military activity or even presence of Hezbollah south of the Litani River—and constitute a threat to the peace under the UN Charter.

Moreover, at lease one tunnel was dug from a civilian home in Lebanon — a war crime under international humanitarian law because Hezbollah sought to use Lebanese civilians as human shields to protect their military infrastructure.

When the UN Security Council meets tomorrow, they must send a strong message by demanding that the Government of Lebanon—and the world body’s own UNIFIL forces—implement the requirements of Resolution 1701, concretely and immediately

Hezbollah tunnels reach Israel

The IDF has found another Hezbollah tunnel extending into an

Israeli apple orchard, just 200 meters from Israel's border with

Lebanon. Israeli resident and farmer Levav Weinberg

discusses with host Tracy Alexander.