BEIRUT – The Lebanese Prime Minister complained on Tuesday that his country has yet to receive satellite images of France and Italy, as requested by a probe in the explosion of the port of Beirut
Hassan Diab told reporters in a briefing that he called on French President Emmanuel Macron to provide satellite images of the port « before, during and after » the devastating August 4 explosion
Lebanese authorities also made the same appeal to Italy, the prime minister said, without specifying when the request was made or by whom
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« They should have provided us with the ‘satellite images’, but that did not happen, and I don’t know why, » said Diab, who resigned following the blast.
Authorities say the explosion that killed more than 200 people in Beirut was caused by a shipment of ammonium nitrate fertilizer that caught fire
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said, however, that an « attack » could have been at the origin of the tragedy
Satellite imagery could help provide more detail on one of the world’s largest non-nuclear explosions
Lebanese officials reject international investigation despite both domestic and foreign demands for an impartial investigation
A local investigation resulted in the arrest of at least 25 suspects, including the head of the port and his customs director
The Lebanese ruling elite, many of whom were warlords in the 1975-1990 civil war, had known for years that ammonium nitrate was stored in a port warehouse without precautionary measures
Their negligence and corruption are largely blamed on the disaster which injured at least 6,500 people and displaced thousands more from their homes
Beirut, Lebanon
News from the world – GB – Lebanon complains that it is still waiting for satellite photos of the explosion in the port of Beirut
