Mysterious Massive Explosions Rock Beirut

See below for updates.

Two massive explosions shock Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday, and the cause remains unclear.

Joyce Karam, a Washington correspondent for the United Arab Emirates newspaper The National, reported that one explosion took place at the port and another happened inside Beirut. The explosion inside the city took place near the home of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, although reports suggest he was not hurt in the blast.

The second explosion shook the city, making houses rock back and forth.

Moment that the second explosion hit #Beirut Lebanon. Many houses damaged, injuries reported.

First was at Port. This is closer to downtown pic.twitter.com/6DdmgQFriD

— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) August 4, 2020

The Beirut port explosion appears truly massive.

Footage of the massive explosion at #Beirut port a short while ago. It's truly frightening. #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/OZ0hZ5SwlC

— Nader Itayim | ‌‌نادر ایتیّم (@ncitayim) August 4, 2020

Footage from a boat also captured the explosion.

Here's the Beirut explosion captured from a boat. pic.twitter.com/DUB7cev6jD

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 4, 2020

The explosion could be heard and felt from miles away.

Another video I took of the massive explosion near #Beirut’s port. pic.twitter.com/MNt3wiNTLN

— Timour Azhari (@timourazhari) August 4, 2020

Glass shattered about 6 miles away.

My brother sent me this, we live 10 KM away from the explosion site and the glass of our bldgs got shattered. #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/MPByBc673m

— Abir Ghattas (@AbirGhattas) August 4, 2020

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Update 4:40 p.m.

A Lebanese security source has attributed the mysterious explosion to “tens of tons of ammonium nitrate.”

“What happened was the explosion of tens of tons of ammonia nitrate, which was highly explosive, which was in one of the warehouses, and it was obligatory to be destroyed or transferred to Fair Place after it was previously seized. The explosion was caused by a fire that broke out close to the dangerous warehouse,” a source told Lebanon’s MTV News.

Lebanese Security source: The massive blast in Beirut was caused by the explosion of tons of Ammonium nitrate after a fire nearby spread towards the warehouse where the Ammonium nitrate was temporarily stored.@akhbar https://t.co/0Fd7ZFRon2

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) August 4, 2020

Update 1:15 p.m.

Another video of the explosion sounds like fireworks.

via signal. fireworks and then an explosion pic.twitter.com/oaEQATSgbT

— ابن بالدوين (@joeyayoub) August 4, 2020

Investigative reporter Jordan Schachtel noted that “Whether or not it was indeed a fireworks depot that exploded in Beirut, we’ve known for years that Hezbollah stores advanced weaponry inside of the city on top of major population centers. Hezbollah uses citizens as human shields to protect its weapons. No regard for human life. And of course, none of this would be possible without Hezbollah’s benefactor, the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

And of course none of this would be possible without Hezbollah's benefactor, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

— Jordan Schachtel (@JordanSchachtel) August 4, 2020

Reuters has launched a live feed.

Beirut, Lebanon
Reuters providing a live feed.https://t.co/Zmg7NXThiX

— Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) August 4, 2020

Reuters has also reported that at least ten people died in the explosions.

Update 12:35 p.m.

Security sources in Beirut have told local media the explosions took place at a “fireworks depot.” Joyce Karam, a Washington correspondent for the United Arab Emirates newspaper The National, noted the “videos suggest more than fireworks that exploded.”

Security Sources in Beirut Lebanon telling local media it’s “fireworks depot”

Hard to know at this point. Videos suggest more than fireworks that exploded

— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) August 4, 2020

An Israeli intelligence research outfit claimed that the explosion was “not a coincidence” because it involved “one of the warehouses near the port, which has already been identified as part of Hezbollah’s missile accuracy project.”

צריך למקם ולראות שלא מדובר במקרה באחד מהמחסנים ליד הנמל, שזוהו כבר כחלק מפרוייקט דיוק הטילים של החיזבאללה pic.twitter.com/hpMaTBFilH

— אינטלי טיימס (@IntelliTimes) August 4, 2020

The Daily Caller’s Greg Price noted that “Hezbollah controls the government in Lebanon and allegedly uses that port to offload Iranian supplied weapons.” He interpreted the “fireworks depot” claim as evidence that the “coverup has begun.”

Original story.

Tyler O’Neil is the author of Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Follow him on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.