News / Lebanon

Aoun: Impossible that Beirut blast was caused by Hezbollah arms

Tuesday, 18 August 2020 10:16 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 18 August 2020 10:21 AM ]

A view shows the damage at the site of a massive explosion in Beirut port, Lebanon August 17, 2020. (Photo by Reuters)

Lebanese President Michel Aoun says it is “impossible” that a recent deadly explosion in the capital Beirut was triggered by a blast from a deposit of arms belonging to the Hezbollah resistance movement.

In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera published on Tuesday, Aoun stressed that Hezbollah did not store weapons at the Beirut port.

Asked about those pointing the finger of blame at the resistance group for the incident, he said, “Impossible, but serious events like these light up spirits and imagination,” adding that “even this lead will be investigated.”

Aoun also underlined the need to listen to all the hypotheses regarding the blast that rocked Beirut two weeks ago, killing at least 178 people, wounding more than 6,000 others and causing damage amounting to $10-15 billion.

Hezbollah chief says impartial probe necessary into Beirut blast

Secretary General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah urges an impartial investigation into the blast that rocked Beirut on Tuesday.

“Although it seems that (it) has been an accident, I want to avoid being accused of not having listened to every voice,” Aoun said.

The Lebanese president further noted that many people claimed seeing airplanes fly by the port just before the explosion and, although “not very credible,” they should be listened to.

On 4 August, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored the Beirut port blew up, obliterating the city’s main commercial hub and damaging buildings across a wide swath.

Drone footage shows devastating aftermath of Beirut blast

The scenes are reminiscent of the destruction caused by the vicious bombing campaigns of World War.

The cause of the blast, the most destructive in the country’s troubled history, is still unclear and a probe is looking into whether it was caused by neglect, an accident or external interference.

Earlier, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah denied accusations that his group had weaponry warehoused at the Beirut port.

Hezbollah would wait for results of the investigation, but if it turns out to be an Israeli act of sabotage, the regime would then “pay an equal price,” he said.

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