The US is still collecting data on the explosion in Beirut and is ready to provide assistance to the Lebanese authorities. This was announced by the head of the Pentagon Mark Esper, speaking on Wednesday, August 5, at the annual security forum organized by the Aspen Institute.
“We are still getting information about what happened,” the CNN channel quoted Esper as saying.
According to him, “the majority thinks it was an accident, as reported.”
“We are addressing the Lebanese government. We are ready to provide this country with all kinds of assistance – humanitarian, send medicines to help the people of Lebanon, ”said the head of the Pentagon.
U.S. defense officials told the television that there is currently no indication that the explosion was an attack, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement yesterday.
The day before, Trump said at a White House conference that the explosion in Beirut was not an accident, but a “terrible attack.” The politician noted that he met with a number of American generals who believe that a bomb could have been detonated in Lebanon.
The US President also offered to help Lebanon.
Russian experts who analyzed the video of the incident in Beirut decided that a so-called classic “volumetric” explosion, typical for warehouses, had occurred.
The explosion in the Lebanese capital occurred on August 4 in the seaport area near the country’s naval base. The Lebanese government believes that the reason was the improper storage of ammonium nitrate weighing 2,750 tons at the port warehouse.
According to the latest data, 135 people were killed, thousands were injured, about 80 were missing.
Lebanese Interior Minister Mohammad Fahmi called fake messages on social networks about the appearance of Israeli planes in the skies over Beirut before the explosion. The Israeli Foreign Ministry previously announced that the country was not involved in the incident.