Massive mushroom cloud from Hezbollah warehouse bombing and its aftermath
חשיפה: ישראל היא שפוצצה מאגר תחמושת של חיזבאללה בנמל ביירות, אך לא ידעה מראש שמחסן סמוך מכיל כמות אדירה של אמוניום חנקתי. הממשלה, המומה מממדי הקטל וההרס, מיהרה להכחיש מעורבות ישראלית – עוד לפני שמישהו בלבנון האשים את ישראל
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A confidential highly-informed Israeli source has told me that Israel caused the massive explosion at the Beirut port earlier today which killed over 100 and injured thousands. The bombing also virtually leveled the port itself and caused massive damage throughout the city. The source received this information from an Israeli official having special knowledge concerning the matter.
Israel targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot at the port and planned to destroy it with an explosive device. Tragically, Israeli intelligence did not perform due diligence on its target. Thus they did not know (or if they did know, they didn’t care) that there were 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a next-door warehouse. The explosion at the arms depot ignited the fertilizer, causing the catastrophe that resulted.
It is, of course, unconscionable that Israeli agents did not determine everything about their target including what was in its immediate vicinity. The tragedy Israel has wreaked is a war crime of immense magnitude.
The ICC has already been investigating Israel for war crimes in Gaza since the 2014 Operation Protective Edge. Now, I imagine it will expand the scope to incorporate today’s criminally negligent massacre.
Though Israel has regularly attacked Hezbollah and Iranian weapons depots and convoys in Syria, it rarely undertakes such brazen attacks inside Lebanon. This attack in the country’s capital marks an even greater escalation. The sheer recklessness of this operation is astonishing.
Not surprising, though. A plan of this sort can only be contemplated amidst internal political dysfunction. Bibi is on the ropes and desperate to change the subject. When his intelligence officers brought the plan to him he likely rubbed his hands with glee and said: “Go to it!” Israeli intelligence was naturally out to please the boss and probably cut corners in order to make the attack happen. When no one is at the wheel saying “Stop!” the boat hits an iceberg and sinks. That’s possibly what happened here.
The Israeli bombing brings to mind similar bombings orchestrated by its agents in Beirut in the period before and after its 1982 invasion. Ronen Bergman’s book on Mossad assassinations and Remy Brulin have documented multiple Israeli bombings during this period which wreaked widespread death and destruction on the city’s civilian population.
In this case, the damage done was accidental. But that will be little comfort to the thousands of Beirutis whose lives have become a living hell as a result of this Israeli crime.
As an aside, former Likud MK Moshe Feiglin tweeted a quotation from the Mishnah “celebrating” the disaster: “There never have been such great days in Israel as the 15th of Av [the day of the bombing] and Yom Kippur.”
Of course, it pains me to admit that Pres. Trump was correct in his earlier statement that the explosion was a “terrible attack,” and that the information was conveyed to him by “his generals.” In this case, he and they were right:
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Wednesday defended President Trump’s description of a massive explosion a day earlier in the capital of Lebanon as an “attack”…
Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he was briefed by generals who felt the explosion at a major port in Beirut was an “attack” and “a bomb of some kind.
“I can tell you the initial report was exactly what the president shared with all of you. I happen to know that he was briefed on that. The initial reports looked at an explosion,” he added. “We still have not totally ruled that out.”
“Without sharing anything classified, I’ve been able to see a lot of what has taken place there. We’ll continue to evaluate that,” Meadows continued. “Obviously, there’s no group that has claimed any responsibility but what the president shared with the American people is what he was briefed on.”
This would be highly classified information, which would mean that Trump once again exposed U.S. intelligence secrets and methods, which no president should do. It is reminiscent of previous episodes in which he shared such highly sensitive information with Russian officials. And it’s the reason why U.S. intelligence officials do everything in their power to keep such information from him.
There could (and should) be Israeli domestic political repercussions for this disaster. As Netanyahu approved the attack, he is responsible for the consequences. In 1982, a commission of inquiry found Ariel Sharon culpable for the invasion of Lebanon and the massacre at Sabra and Shatilla. He was sent into political exile for a decade. At the very least, this should disqualify Bibi from leading the country. This would be the outcome in any democratic nation in which the leader was held accountable for his failures.
But alas, Israel is not such a nation, and Bibi always seems to weasel out of responsibility for his blunders. The difference here is that the Israeli leader is already under pressure due to his government’s disastrous response to Covid19 and the looming corruption trial on three counts of bribery. This could be the tipping point.
Normally, Israelis would not bat an eye at such a massacre. They have become inured to the suffering they inflict on their Arab neighbors. But given Netanyahu’s collapsing popularity, this could hasten his end.
Israel couldn’t have picked a worse time to inflict such suffering on Lebanon. The country is in deep economic crisis. Businesses are going bankrupt, people have nothing to eat, politicians quarrel and blame while doing nothing. Lebanon is a basket case. Suffering is everywhere. There is little appetite from its Arab brethren like Saudi Arabia to come to its aid. If any country did not need this added tragedy it is Lebanon.
Lebanon’s flag displayed on Tel Aviv City Hall
But there you go–Israel doesn’t seem to have any sense of shame or restraint when it comes to inflicting pain on its neighbors. And it has done so endlessly in Lebanon: from the bombings in the lead-up to the 1982 invasion, the 20-year occupation of Southern Lebanon, and two wars in this century. All of this inflicted massive, ongoing damage on the country. These interventions exacerbated existing ethnic and religious divisions in the country (indeed that is Israel’s modus operandi regarding its Arab neighbors), and amplified the suffering further.
Of course, there will be doubters. Those who disbelieve my source. But to them, I point out two pieces of circumstantial evidence which are telling. Normally, if Israel has undertaken a successful terror attack (such as those against Iran) it will either refuse to comment or a senior military or political figure will say something like: While we refuse to comment, whoever did it did the world a favor.
In this case, Israel immediately denied responsibility. Even Hezbollah supposedly said Israel hadn’t caused the damage (likely protecting itself from the inevitable blame that will fall upon it for storing its weapons next to a building filled with explosive material).
The second tell-tale sign is that Israel never offers humanitarian aid to its Arab neighbors. During the Syrian Civil War, the only group to whom Israel offered humanitarian assistance was its Islamist anti-Assad allies. Israel has never offered such aid to Lebanon, until today. Lebanon is officially considered an enemy state in Israel. So to have the Lebanese flag flying over Tel Aviv city hall is also extraordinary. But the cynic in me says that it is an outrage for Israelis to all of a sudden develop pity on Lebanese after their leaders caused this debacle. Israel has rained down death and destruction on the country for decades. For it to feign empathy now is the height of chutzpah.
With tongue planted firmly in cheek, Haaretz’s Gideon Levy expressed shock and indignation at the prospect that Israel might have had anything to do with the tragedy. Also, in this column he links to this blog and notes pointedly that I ascribed the Beirut blast to Israel:
The “Jewish state” has never caused such disasters, and the fall of its enemies its heart has never rejoiced. So too the IDF, the army of the Jews has never caused such devastation [as the Beirut blast], certainly never in Lebanon, even less so in Beirut! Why would the IDF destroy such infrastructure? And why bomb the Beirut port? Why would the most moral army in the world bomb such a population center? That’s why the leaders of the nation rushed to offer aid to the stricken Land of the Cedars in a Jewish-Israeli tribute that is so typically humane, lofty and full of heartfelt tears.
[But] was it not defense minister [Benny Gantz] who only last week threatened that same Lebanon with destruction of infrastructure? Didn’t the prime minister also threaten Lebanon? And how does destruction of infrastructure look in Lebanon? Just like what was seen in Lebanon on Tuesday. The sound of thunder shook the city, black smoke billowed over it, destruction and devastation, civilian blood spilled, 4,000 injured at hospital doors…
Half of Israel and the entire IDF General Staff know how to recite the acclaimed Dahiya Doctrine. Every second politician has threatened to carry it out…And what is this sophisticated doctrine? It’s the use of disproportionate, unbridled force against infrastructure, the sowing of destruction and shedding of as much blood as possible. “Flattening” – to teach the enemy a lesson “once and for all.” The IDF has tried this more than once in the past, in Lebanon and in Gaza, and it was a dizzying success. It looks just like what was seen in Beirut on Tuesday.
…Would you accept humanitarian aid from such a country? Is there a more sickening show of hypocrisy?
Silverstein has published Tikun Olam since 2003, It exposes the secrets of the Israeli national security state. He lives in Seattle, but his heart is in the east. He publishes regularly at Middle East Eye and Jacobin Magazine. His work has also appeared in Al Jazeera English, The Nation, Truthout and other outlets.
Sorry to say this – but you’re becoming reckless.
1. Either your “source” is right or it’s not right, but you should qualify your conclusions.
2. Absolutely, unequivocally, not all Israelis “ would not bat an eye at such a massacre. They have become inured to the suffering they inflict on their Arab neighbors.” That’s like attributing Trump’s craziness to ALL Americans.
3. Israel has feed humanitarian aid to Arab nations (as well as non-Arab Muslim nations) in the past. Besides aid to Syrians and Palestinians, Israel offered aid, through the Red Cross, to civilians from Iraq and Iran during the 2017 earthquake – as one example.
However, the BIG question is “why hasn’t (yet?) Hezbolla brained Israel if the evidence is so clear cut?” Hezbollah could deflect a lot of anger if it could blame Israel.
Indeed, if Americans had elected Trump president for over a decade I would attribute his craziness to all Americans–or at least the idiots who voted for him. But we’ve only elected him for one term, and he’ll barely last that long.
As for humanitarian aid: you didn’t read my post. Israel has not offered aid to “Syrians.” It offered aid to anti-Assadist militias fighting in Syria. It never offered aid to Lebanon. And your claim that it offered aid to Palestinians is not only laughable, it’s obscene. What sort of aid has it offered? Bombs? Tank rounds? F-16 missiles?
As for Hezbollah, again you didn’t read the post: Hezbollah cannot blame Israel because it will have to admit that it negligently stored its weapons in a building next door to a warehouse storing ammonium nitrate. It will have to admit its own culpability for the disaster (along with Israel’s).
Try harder… But no more comments in this thread.
The circumstantial evidence is extremely lacking at best, it really doesn’t suggest anything at all.
I would consider the fact that Israel hasn’t done air strikes in Lebanon during daytime for decades as much stronger evidence to the contrary.
@ Oded: Israel certainly has struck Lebanese targets in two wars in this century. What it hasn’t done is attacked Beirut in several decades. Until this week, when it did. To make a point to Hezb that it was willing to escalate the war of words that’s been going on for weeks. I’m not claiming Israel attacked Beirut by air. Review what I wrote and try again.
thanks for setting your reputation on fire :)))))
@ qwe: Thanks for offering me your worthless opinion.
I’m still on the fence on this one. There were indeed two separate explosions, the first I attributed to “fireworks” triggering the second massive blast of stockpiled 2700 ton ammonium nitrate. However, by reviewing the initial blast, that was more likely munitions shooting into the air. Israel never makes such a miscalculation, if they knew what’s inside the Hezbollah munitions depot, they would have known about the six years storage of the ammonium nitrate. [https://www.cnet.com/how-to/beirut-explosion-how-ammonium-nitrate-caused-deadly-blast-in-lebanon/]
If it’s true what your source provided, the ICC can stay in session a bit longer. The date two days ahead of the decision by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the Rafiq Hariri assassination would not be a coincidence. A verdict after 15 years?
Offer by the combination Gantz and Ashkenazi – IDF veterans of the Second Lebanon War.
https://twitter.com/gantzbe/status/1290725919309602816
Who are the men on Israel’s potential hit list?
Of course the Jewish State of Israel has offered a rescue mission … Netanyahu seeks to offer his friend Trump the exact location of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah – https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/who-are-the-men-on-israels-potential-hit-list-606101
* time is running out for Trump and his ally Netanyahu & Co.
I think Hezbollah could get away with blaming Israel. Hezbollah absolving Israel to save it’s own face leaves the blame where? (I am not understanding this)
There is enough blame including of disregard, negligence, tolerance (rationalization about the need to store in such qualities in the first place) to go around here. This was or should have been seen as disaster waiting to happen. Stupidity enough to go around as well, especially in Israel if it was an act of the Israeli agents.
Who would live, work or walk near such a known powder keg?
But it would seem we need more evidence to believe Israel did this.
I believe that this was an accident. We should wait for the Lebanese authorities to clarify more about the accident.
Hezbollah militia wish they could accuse Israel for this attack.
They cannot find any proof to accuse Israel of rocketing Beirut port.
That is why the accident is due to the negligence of highly explosive nitrate amonium inside the port.
I’m no expert, but the primary explosion seems to have been caused by fireworks, and not rockets.
The video clearly shows small explosions in the air as well as on the ground at the primary site.
I find it hard to believe that Israel would blow up a Hezbollah ammo dump full of low-grade weapons, in the middle of rush hour Beirut. That hasn’t been Israel’s modus operandi.
Regarding Trump, Pentagon officials speaking anonymously to Reuters, have said that Trump is wrong. No attack.
https://abc13.com/fireworks-ammonium-nitrate-likely-fueled-beirut-explosion/6354972/
I think your ‘source’, is blowing smoke.
Thank You Richard,
I was suspecting Israel and waiting for some proof. I don’t think Israel made a mistake, it was deliberate.Israel did this to blame the resistance (Hezbollah), because they have been trying to destroy Hezbollah.
I wouldn’t be surprised, is Israeli agents posed as Hezbollah to stockpile the material in Beirut. Can you please find proof of this too. Ask your agent. I am sure of this.
Thank you Sir.
I am amazed how we create conspiracy theory around every incompetence.. This whole tragedy is the result of systemic corruption in the lebanese Goverment over decadeS. We blame america, Israel,..etc but also if thats true it means that the whole nation are for sale or puppets! Lebanon has been bleeding for decades, missing basic infrastructure of modern society, defaulted on its debts and has been run by militias and ingraining division in the name of religion in simple aspect of life. I hope this tragedy make them reflect and clean house , energy better directed for better future. I do think the article will be a good Hollywood movie.
until you have proof, you should keep your mouth shut.
@ melsee: I have proof. As for keeping my mouth shut, I suggest you try it.
From an updated post, a video from the initial fire and firefighters battling the blaze. Purports a welding accident started the fire in a warehouse …
https://mobile.twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1291008814108606466
@Oui
Thank for the update.
What a terrifying video you sent us.
God, I pray those poor souls survived.
Just a long, fact free slander. The government of Lebanon and Hezbollah both have stated it wasn’t Israel, but you have a secret anonymous source that knows better. Trump’s generals have also disagreed with you and Trump.
You and Trump, clowns together.
@ Andrew: No, actually the government of Lebanon now says that foreign actors may have been involved. You might want to update the ignorant trash you’re peddling as fact.
I think this claim is shamefully irresponsible, but let’s come back to this in a week and see how your “confidential highly-informed Israeli source” fared. My money is on this claim turning out to be absolute and complete rubbish.
Meant to link an earlier video of the firefighters on the frontline …
https://mobile.twitter.com/michaelh992/status/1290999165552656385
None of the first responders could have survived the blast. A tough job on a very illusive day. RIP
* warning … this video is unverfied and source is a security analyst of LeBeck International. Michael Horowitz has links with the intelligence community and CNAS.
https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/strategic-competition-in-an-era-of-artificial-intelligence
When can we trust any posted image or video in an age of AI.
Thank you Richard. This is plausible and very convincing and checks with reality where Israel has been carrying out a bombing campaign for months now in Iran, Iraq, Syria an now Lebanon. It has been emboldened by the fact that none of the countries it has sabotaged/bombed have retaliated despite massive losses and open provocations, and the fact that it can count on Trump to be in their corner. This time the Apartheid state has gone too far it seems although I am not holding my breath for anyone to do something about it. The murderous state will continue to wreak havoc in the Middle East until its dismantlement, as there is no chance of it ever being peaceful.
This sounds convincing. I would add that Israel likely knew of the ammonium nitrate–legal proceedings were probably public knowledge. It knew that blame would fall on Hezbollah and Lebanese government for negligence, having weapons depots, keeping explosive material there for that long etc. etc. The thing that convinces me is how the mainstream narratives were being shaped. Within one hour of the explosion the accidental ammonium nitrate explosion theory was circulating and Israel was issuing unasked for denials. By the time I woke up in the morning, it was all Hezbollah’s fault. Tel Aviv’s City Hall has now lit up with the Lebanese flag and the Israel offers aid to Lebanon is in screaming headlines. Haaretz was writing about how this would get rid of Hezbollah. That blast would have been difficult to orchestrate on purpose never mind by accident. I was shaken to the core.
LeBeck International security and intelligence – Michael Horowitz [Location: Brisbane Australia]
Sole source for a crucial video reporting from the waterfront with assumed firefighters yesterday … moments before a devastating blast … there would be no survivors, so how did this video get online on time?? How solid is this evidence b @MoA?
Analysis of Iranian weapons storage, Israeli strikes, mapping | LeBeck |
Nobody informed him that Hezbollah operatives have been caught in the UK, Germany, Cyprus, and elsewhere with their explosive of choice, ammonium nitrate? And it really does look on the Lebanese videos like the fire spread from the millions of exploding bullets to the AN, setting it off.
I was out by accident yesterday, so waiting in the car the radio was on Radio 4. France 24 correspondent who lives in Beirut describing the first thing that happened, a fighter jet flying very low and was very loud. Go online and see if the recording still available.
Leila Molana-Allen – Middle East correspondent for France News 24 was interviewed on BBC radio 4 shortly after the explosion. She lives in Beirut and spoke of “an incredibly loud jet pass overhead…very low, and as that happened there was a blinding flash” as the explosion occurred. When asked by the BBC interviewer (Evan Davies) if she was associating the blast with the plane that came in, she said “at the moment I feel that we must…”
This interview certainly lends credibility to the report of an attack.
When I was a child, Lebanon was a mostly Catholic country and was considered “the Pearl of the Middle East”. So, I will wait for the confirmation to decide who is responsible but, ultimately, if Lebanon had not been oppressed to begin with, this would not have happened now. Humankind is the problem, not just Israelis, Trump or Netanyahu.
The claim concerning the involvement of Israel in the explosion in Beirut’s port does not base on any fact. The author invent a groundless story In order to point the finger toward Israel. Shame to see such person called himself a journalist.
Is there any hard evidence Hezbollah stored weapons next to the ammonium nitrate?
It’s not a Hezbollah munitions depo and the ammonium nitrate was seized from a Russian years earlier. That’s why people that controlled the port are now under house arrest but it will be impossible for the government of Lebanon to argue they were unaware it existed based upon grave concerns on the part of many.