Andrew Facini
On the evening of August 4, 2020, a massive explosion rocked the Port of Beirut in Lebanon. The explosion happened as hundreds of cameras were already pointed at a burning warehouse, in which more than 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate used in fertilizers and explosives were improperly stored. The resulting blast devastated downtown Beirut, killing more than 200, injuring 7,000, causing $30 billion in damage, and displacing as many as 300,000 Beirutis.
It was one of the most-observed disasters of its kind in history, as footage and reporting from all angles—before, during, and following the blast—was shared around the world in real-time. The tragic outcome was reminiscent of the 2015 industrial explosions at a container storage station in Tianjin, China, which were similarly captured by citizens thanks to the lead-up spectacle of an uncontrolled fire.
Despite all evidence, President Donald Trump said to reporters:
“I’ve met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that it was not a—some kind of manufacturing explosion type of event. This was a—seems to be according to them, they would know better than I would, but they seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind.”
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