Lebanon questions security chief over Beirut explosion as pressure on government mounts
BEIRUT — A Lebanese judge Monday began questioning the heads of the country’s security agencies over last week’s devastating explosion in Beirut as another Cabinet minister quit in protest and rumors grew that the government could resign en masse.
Judge Ghassan El Khoury began questioning Maj. Gen. Tony Saliba, the head of Lebanon’s State Security agency, according to the state-run National News Agency. The report gave no further details, but other generals are scheduled to be questioned.
Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najm, who was sprayed with water and verbally attacked last week while visiting a damaged area, handed in her resignation to the prime minister on Monday, the news agency said. She is the third Cabinet minister to resign over the blast.
A Cabinet meeting is scheduled for Monday amid speculation that the government could resign en masse. If a total of seven out of the 20 ministers resign, the Cabinet would effectively become a caretaker government. At least nine members of parliament have resigned.
Tuesday’s blast killed at least 160 people and wounded thousands, in addition to destroying the country’s main port and damaging large parts of the capital. Losses are estimated to be between $10 billion and $15 billion, and nearly 300,000 people were left homeless in the immediate aftermath.
The explosion is believed to have been caused by a fire that ignited a stockpile of explosive material that had been stored at the port since 2013. The disaster has been widely blamed on years of corruption and neglect by the entrenched political class that has governed Lebanon since its 1975-90 civil war.
Los Angeles Times reporter Nabih Bulos was less than 500 yards from the center of the massive explosion in Beirut. He lived to tell the tale
About 20 people have been detained over the blast, including the head of Lebanon’s customs department and his predecessor, as well as the head of the port. Dozens of people have been questioned, including two former Cabinet ministers, according to government officials.
The investigation is focused on how 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical used in fertilizers, came to be stored at a warehouse in Beirut’s port for six years, and why nothing was done about it.
State Security had compiled a report about the dangers of storing the material at the port and sent a copy to the offices of the president and prime minister July 20.
On Sunday, world leaders and international organizations pledged nearly $300 million in emergency humanitarian aid to Beirut in the wake of the devastating explosion, but warned that no money for rebuilding the capital would be made available until Lebanese authorities commit themselves to the political and economic reforms demanded by the people.
The Lebanese are used to eating plenty of meat, but the country’s economic woes have made it a luxury as rampant inflation takes its toll.
Protesters have clashed with security forces over the last two days in Beirut. The demonstrators blame the explosion and a severe economic crisis on the ruling elite and are calling for sweeping political change. Similar demonstrations last autumn fizzled out after several weeks.
Iran expressed concern that Western countries and their allies might exploit anger over the explosion to pursue their political interests. Iran supports the Hezbollah militant group, which along with its allies dominates Lebanon’s government and parliament.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said that “it is natural for people to be frustrated.” But he said it would be “unacceptable if some individuals, groups and foreign countries use the incident as a pretext for their purposes and intentions.”
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