Disaster Fireworks Warehouse Explosion in Beirut - Spoiler: It wasn't Fireworks it was 2,500+ tons of High-Explosive Ammonium Nitrate

Article (Archive)

Beirut, Lebanon (CNN)

A large explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday, damaging buildings and offices around the city.
The source of the explosion was a major fire at a warehouse for firecrackers near the port in Beirut, the state-run National News Agency reported.
A red cloud hung over the city in the wake of the blast as firefighting teams rushed to the scene to try to put out the fire.
Local news reported multiple people were wounded in the incident.
This is a breaking story, more to follow.

Twitter thread: https://mobile.twitter.com/tobiaschneider/status/1290670226934243329

Attaching all of the videos I grabbed from this guys twitter just now as well, here's one of them:

Here are some links to other posts in the thread with more content, you may need to go to the posts directly to see the media:

Spoiler: Two videos

Couple more angles of the explosions, seems everyone in Beirut holds their phone vertically. Buckle up for a very delayed boom in the second video.

Spoiler: Another angle, 'Allahu Ackbar'

Here's a different angle. Notice how the guys recording it say "Allahu Akbar".

EDIT: Direct embed

Spoiler: Slow Motion explosion

Found this slowmo of the explosion in which you can see the fireball and airblast more clearly

Spoiler: Two more videos

(edits: trying to get the spacing of text/video right; links to tweets)
I think this is just a slowed down version of this that I grabbed from twitter (https://twitter.com/saadmohseni/status/1290678176574779395):















Also this for another, closer angle (https://twitter.com/realdavereilly/status/1290690743217119235):

Spoiler: Lebanese Public Security: Not fireworks, High-Explosive Material

View attachment 1495099

And you retards thought putting it all in one place is a good idea?

Spoiler: Sodium Nitrate, PM's Wife and Daughter slightly injured in explosions, ISRAEL UNINVOLVED WE SWEAR

It was explosive sodium nitrate holy shit
View attachment 1495106

https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1290698269421600770

Israel denies involvement, Hezbollah says it wasn't their stuff, PM's wife and daughter injured
View attachment 1495109

https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1290703557797089281

Spoiler: Aftermath videos/photos

What remains of the dock:

Spoiler: Italy Radiation Spike

There’s a radiation spike picked up near Italy/scicily. Let me try to archive this or take a screenshot

http://archive.md/Nefcf

View attachment 1495413

Spoiler: 2 Minute Compilation Video

I know that there are several vids on here but here's a 2+ minute concatenation of multiple angles and some security camera footage of blast sites.

Spoiler: 2,700 TONS of Ammonia

View attachment 1495562
Translation: Preliminary security information talks about 2,700 tons of confiscated ammonia in the port exploded during the process of welding a small hole to prevent theft

 

[KingCoelacanth]

I heard "My Face!"

Considering how close he was to the window, he probably got fucked up.

He probably looks like he was attacked by a 6 foot cheese grater. Will all that glass he could've easily died. I saw it mentioned that a lot of glass used in the city is older-style glass breaks into sharp fragments, rather than modern glass that shatters

 

[DtoDab]

People were supporting something similar a few years ago with Macron taking control of Brazil to save the rainforest.
Redditors are ultimately authoritarians the moment they don't have control.

Ahaha we would fucking kill him.

Brazilians are violent fuckers

 

[JosephStalin]

I heard "My Face!"

Considering how close he was to the window, he probably got fucked up.

Whoa!

Here's another perspective on the blast.

What Really Happened at the Port of Beirut?
By Lt. Col. (res.) Dr. Mordechai KedarAugust 7, 2020

Explosion at the Port of Beirut, August 4, 2020, screenshot of YouTube video


BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,681, August 7, 2020

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion occurred at a warehouse on the waterfront of the Port of Beirut, Lebanon. It killed at least 135 people, wounded at least 5,000, left approximately 300,000 people homeless, and devastated the port region of the city, causing damages estimated between $10 billion and $15 billion. The Lebanese authorities are blaming the explosion on mismanagement by port officials, but there is reason to suspect that it was the result of Hezbollah negligence.

The official report of the Lebanese authorities on the massive August 4 explosion at the Port of Beirut is that a warehouse near the water containing 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded. They claim that this material had been in the warehouse for over six years, with the approval of the court, and confirmed this claim with documentation.

With all due respect to the Lebanese authorities, I do not buy this story. I believe that explosives, ammunition, and missile fuel (which are highly volatile and flammable substances) were stored by Hezbollah in this warehouse after being shipped from Iran. There are several reasons why I believe this.

1. There was a series of at least three explosions, each of which had a different result. The first created a gray column of smoke that remained for several minutes. The second, a column of red smoke, also remained for several minutes, while the third created a white mushroom cloud that dissipated within seconds. This suggests that at least three different materials were stored in that warehouse (see video).
2. Anyone familiar with how a port operates knows that the front row of warehouses, which are closest to the water, are used for short-term storage. Cargo that is meant to be stored long-term is moved to warehouses further away from the water.
3. Anyone who ships sensitive cargo and does not want it to be seen, photographed, or targeted by others from air, space, or ground tries to hide it as close as possible to the water. The warehouse that exploded was on the water’s edge.
4. After Israel (according to foreign sources) attacked the warehouses at Damascus Airport several times, Beirut Seaport replaced Damascus Airport as the destination for Hezbollah’s ammunition and explosives imports from Iran. What used to arrive at Damascus Airport by air is now brought to Beirut by ship. For Hezbollah’s purposes, the warehouses at the port of Beirut have replaced the warehouses of Damascus Airport.
5. What probably happened on August 4 was an explosion of volatile and flammable materials that were incorrectly stored by Hezbollah for at least a day in a metal, non-airconditioned warehouse. As it is midsummer, temperatures are very high. I believe missile-fuel fumes evaporated from a container and touched the hot wall or ceiling, where they ignited and caused a chain reaction of explosions.
6. Less than an hour after the explosions, Hezbollah announced that the exploded material was ammonium nitrate. Hezbollah was the first to report it. The reason: Hezbollah was looking for a way to cover up its own negligence and establish an official version that deflected attention away from itself, because no one in the government would dare contradict them.

I suspect that very few people in Lebanon buy Hezbollah’s version of the story. I think Hassan Nasrallah is viewed by the Iranians and, indeed, by his own friends in Hezbollah as personally responsible for this disaster. I would not be surprised to hear that he has suffered a “heart attack” and is thus ending his role as Hezbollah’s secretary general. Perhaps the “heart attack” will be fatal.

What Really Happened at the Port of Beirut?

BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,681, August 7, 2020EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion occurred at a warehouse on the waterfront of the Port of Beirut, Lebanon. It kille

besacenter.org

https://archive.vn/GVUQA

 

[Cypher]

Whoa!

Here's another perspective on the blast.

What Really Happened at the Port of Beirut?
By Lt. Col. (res.) Dr. Mordechai KedarAugust 7, 2020

Explosion at the Port of Beirut, August 4, 2020, screenshot of YouTube video


BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,681, August 7, 2020

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion occurred at a warehouse on the waterfront of the Port of Beirut, Lebanon. It killed at least 135 people, wounded at least 5,000, left approximately 300,000 people homeless, and devastated the port region of the city, causing damages estimated between $10 billion and $15 billion. The Lebanese authorities are blaming the explosion on mismanagement by port officials, but there is reason to suspect that it was the result of Hezbollah negligence.

The official report of the Lebanese authorities on the massive August 4 explosion at the Port of Beirut is that a warehouse near the water containing 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded. They claim that this material had been in the warehouse for over six years, with the approval of the court, and confirmed this claim with documentation.

With all due respect to the Lebanese authorities, I do not buy this story. I believe that explosives, ammunition, and missile fuel (which are highly volatile and flammable substances) were stored by Hezbollah in this warehouse after being shipped from Iran. There are several reasons why I believe this.

1. There was a series of at least three explosions, each of which had a different result. The first created a gray column of smoke that remained for several minutes. The second, a column of red smoke, also remained for several minutes, while the third created a white mushroom cloud that dissipated within seconds. This suggests that at least three different materials were stored in that warehouse (see video).
2. Anyone familiar with how a port operates knows that the front row of warehouses, which are closest to the water, are used for short-term storage. Cargo that is meant to be stored long-term is moved to warehouses further away from the water.
3. Anyone who ships sensitive cargo and does not want it to be seen, photographed, or targeted by others from air, space, or ground tries to hide it as close as possible to the water. The warehouse that exploded was on the water’s edge.
4. After Israel (according to foreign sources) attacked the warehouses at Damascus Airport several times, Beirut Seaport replaced Damascus Airport as the destination for Hezbollah’s ammunition and explosives imports from Iran. What used to arrive at Damascus Airport by air is now brought to Beirut by ship. For Hezbollah’s purposes, the warehouses at the port of Beirut have replaced the warehouses of Damascus Airport.
5. What probably happened on August 4 was an explosion of volatile and flammable materials that were incorrectly stored by Hezbollah for at least a day in a metal, non-airconditioned warehouse. As it is midsummer, temperatures are very high. I believe missile-fuel fumes evaporated from a container and touched the hot wall or ceiling, where they ignited and caused a chain reaction of explosions.
6. Less than an hour after the explosions, Hezbollah announced that the exploded material was ammonium nitrate. Hezbollah was the first to report it. The reason: Hezbollah was looking for a way to cover up its own negligence and establish an official version that deflected attention away from itself, because no one in the government would dare contradict them.

I suspect that very few people in Lebanon buy Hezbollah’s version of the story. I think Hassan Nasrallah is viewed by the Iranians and, indeed, by his own friends in Hezbollah as personally responsible for this disaster. I would not be surprised to hear that he has suffered a “heart attack” and is thus ending his role as Hezbollah’s secretary general. Perhaps the “heart attack” will be fatal.

What Really Happened at the Port of Beirut?

BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,681, August 7, 2020EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion occurred at a warehouse on the waterfront of the Port of Beirut, Lebanon. It kille

besacenter.org

https://archive.vn/GVUQA

Who could possibly claim Hezbollah did this as of now within a week of literally no evidence

oh

 

[jje100010001]

OK, rumor time:

At the Port of Beirut, Warehouses 5 & 12 are apparently defacto-controlled by Hezbollah, and no one is allowed to question what goes in and out.

Second, LBC 8 pm Thursday apparently reported that the ammonium nitrate was 39% nitrate, meaning that it was weapons-grade material and not suitable for agriculture. Makes sense considering that the shipment was originally destined for a Mozambique weapons plant...or was it?

“In addition, they had people world-wide – 30 to 50 each in Colombia, Venezuela, South Africa, Mozambique and Kenya,” reads the book, adding that Iran was “paying Hezbollah’s bills at a staggering $1 billion a year”.

Bob Woodward notes in Fear that Hezbollah has agents in Mozambique as well: https://clubofmozambique.com/news/hezbollah-has-people-in-mozambique-derek-harvey-told-bob-woodward/

Another note is that Nasrallah had threatened Ammonia bombs recently, and Hezbollah-linked operatives had been caught shipping Ammonia Nitrate in Cyprus and London in the past few years as well:

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/08/05/Watch-Hezbollah-chief-explains-explosion-scenario-similar-to-Beirut-blast

https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/08/05/ammonium-nitrate-found-in-cyprus-in-2015-destroyed-police-say/

Iran-linked terrorists caught stockpiling explosives in north-west London

Terrorists linked to Iran were caught stockpiling tonnes of explosive materials on the outskirts of London in a secret British bomb factory, The Telegraph can reveal.

www.telegraph.co.uk

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/hezbollah-stockpiled-chemical-behind-beirut-blast-in-london-637578

Another note- it seems that the Warehouse that exploded (12) was locked during the fire:

'When the smoke first started gathering, we sent a unit of 10 people. Six were in the fire engine and four in the emergency response car. The three men in the famous photograph were first on the scene trying to unlock the door to Warehouse 12.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-firefighters-Beiruts-Warehouse-12-blast.html

Seems to dispel the welding story? I've heard that the picture of the workers fixing the door was dated back to 2014- can someone help find a source for that?

Finally, I wonder if the first explosion was munitions cooking off- fireworks seem to be fizzier and more random?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuN4xirvhHY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QCp334oCLc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtmNO8pgXnE

Saw this and thought it was very insightful.

https://mobile.twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/1291369143195914240

This is a fine(?) attitude to have in Lebanon(maybe) but I'm pretty sure this is his attitude in governing the french people in France as well.

Stuff like this feels like PR stunts. I don't know how anyone can see Macron as a defender of freedom after he treated the yellow vest protests as brutally as China treated the HK protests.

France looking to pull Lebanon back into its orbit and Macron looking to booster his reputation at home and internationally?

Maybe Françafrique has room for one more member?

 

[MarcoFakeAccount]

Apparently people are faking some footage to make it seem like they were bombed.

..why?

 

[ditto]

That emoji really isn't necessary

 

[jje100010001]

Broken system:

https://twitter.com/SynapsNetwork/status/1291646329555423233

https://www.synaps.network/post/lebanon-protests-uprising-poor-governance

 

[1Tonka_Truck]

Second, LBC 8 pm Thursday apparently reported that the ammonium nitrate was 39% nitrate, meaning that it was weapons-grade material and not suitable for agriculture. Makes sense considering that the shipment was originally destined for a Mozambique weapons plant...or was it?

Again, for the slow kids in the back, nobody makes ammonium nitrate fertilizer anymore. Weapons grade is also blasting grade of the most commonly used blasting agent on the planet. I haven't seen anything about the AN being headed to Mozambique, only that the ship was in Beirut to pick up some construction equipment to offload in Mozambique. There are a thousand mines in Africa that could have been the legitimate destination for 2750 tons of cheap boom.

Finally, I wonder if the first explosion was munitions cooking off- fireworks seem to be fizzier and more random?

Wouldn't surprise me. It looked and sounded like ammo cooking off, but it's hard to tell with phone audio.

 

[DeadFish]

Short term gains above all else. Soon as I seen this event on the news I automatically assumed neglect and terrible storage protocols

 

[jje100010001]

Again, for the slow kids in the back, nobody makes ammonium nitrate fertilizer anymore. Weapons grade is also blasting grade of the most commonly used blasting agent on the planet. I haven't seen anything about the AN being headed to Mozambique, only that the ship was in Beirut to pick up some construction equipment to offload in Mozambique. There are a thousand mines in Africa that could have been the legitimate destination for 2750 tons of cheap boom.

Mr. Prokoshev, the captain, joined the ship in Turkey after a mutiny over unpaid wages by a previous crew. Mr. Grechushkin had been paid $1 million to transport the high-density ammonium nitrate to the port of Beira in Mozambique, the captain said.

The ammonium nitrate was purchased by the International Bank of Mozambique for Fábrica de Explosivos de Moçambique, a firm that makes commercial explosives, according to Baroudi and Partners, a Lebanese law firm representing the ship’s crew, in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Mr. Grechushkin, who was in Cyprus at the time and communicating by telephone, told the captain he didn’t have enough money to pay for passage through the Suez Canal. So he sent the ship to Beirut to earn some cash by taking on an additional cargo of heavy machinery.

Blame for Beirut Explosion Begins With a Leaky, Troubled Ship

The bleak tale of chronic negligence started over six years ago, when an indebted vessel and its volatile cargo pulled into port. It ended on Tuesday in a giant explosion.

www.nytimes.com

Gulf-aligned news:

Luqman Salim, a Lebanese political analyst, said that the stories about how the ship arrived in Beirut - due to technical defects and that it was seized for non-payment of debts, in addition to the way the judiciary and security dealt with the deadly shipment - show that the final destination of it was Beirut, and not Mozambique.

In statements to Al Hurra, Salim added that what happened after the ship arrived and the ammonium nitrate shipment was stored in the port indicate that it was a complicated process to cover up the final destination of the shipment, which was certainly not Mozambique, as some reports claim.

Regarding the owner of this shipment in Beirut, Salim said the party, which was, and still is, controlling the port and security and has a long arm in the judicial apparatus inside Lebanon is Hezbollah, and it is likely that the party is the one behind the import of this shipment.

https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/beirut-blasts-was-final-destination-of-deadly-cargo-ship-mozambique-1.73045392

Some conflicting news, no doubt with differing geopolitical plays in effect- but I think there's two potential stories here depending on where the AN was headed.

I know it's from Brookings, but more assertions that Hezbollah was in control of the port:

Without question, Hezbollah plays a dominant but murky role at the Port of Beirut (as well as the international airport).

Hezbollah’s interest in the port has primarily been linked to its economic network, perhaps including drugs, more than its arms smuggling. Hezbollah’s economic tentacles are widespread and extend to Africa and Latin America: used car smuggling, independent telecom and internet networks, and so forth. By having effective control of, or dominance in, Lebanon’s ports, Hezbollah masks its activities and avoids paying customs and taxes — mafia-like behavior of less concern to Israel than precision-guided missiles.

Lebanon as Paradise Lost

Lebanese and foreigners alike have long nurtured nostalgic images of what Lebanon supposedly represents. But the tragic explosions in Beirut on August 4 demonstrate again how far that reality is from the truth.

www.brookings.edu

Bahaa Hariri, whose father, Prime Minister Rafiq, was assassinated in 2005, said last night everyone in the city knew Hezbollah controlled Beirut's port and airport and it was inconceivable that the authorities did not know the deadly ammonium nitrate was stored in a warehouse there.

Speaking for the first time Mr Hariri, 54, said: 'The question we have to ask is how come for six years this combustible material was allowed to remain in the middle of this city of two million people?'

'It is crystal clear Hezbollah are in charge of the Port and the Warehouse where the ammonium nitrate was stored.

'Nothing goes in and out of the Port or the Airport does so with them knowing. Nothing.

Lebanese politician blames Hezbollah and the government for explosion

Bahaa Hariri, 54, said last night that everyone in the city knew Hezbollah controlled Beirut's port and airport and it was inconceivable authorities did not know the deadly ammonium nitrate.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[1Tonka_Truck]

Fábrica de Explosivos de Moçambique, a firm that makes commercial explosives,

How did you get 'weapons plant' out of that? Commercial explosives are blasting agents. You know, commercially available boom for mining, demolition, and other fun pastimes? They probably make ANFO emulsions.

 

[MrJokerRager]

This reminds me of the nuke scene from Call of Duty 4.

 

[Haramburger]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=_L7SlqDtRnc
This young lady was at her own bridal photo-shoot when the explosion happened. Thank God it was far enough away that neither her nor anyone else in her party was injured. I just hope their eardrums weren't ruptured...

Pretty good, pretty good. I think I can top that though. This bridal shoot is taken at a slightly different angle and the human reaction is a little better with the facial recognition of the blast and the body language/reaction.

 

[CervixHammer]

"where'd the boat go?" has the dumbest answer possible:

Ship Cited in Beirut Blast Hasn’t Sailed in 7 Years. We Found It.

The explosive material responsible for the Aug. 4 blast in Beirut was carried there by the ailing cargo ship Rhosus in 2013. Here’s what happened next.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Haramburger]

"where'd the boat go?" has the dumbest answer possible:
View attachment 1504959

Ship Cited in Beirut Blast Hasn’t Sailed in 7 Years. We Found It.

The explosive material responsible for the Aug. 4 blast in Beirut was carried there by the ailing cargo ship Rhosus in 2013. Here’s what happened next.

www.nytimes.com

"NOOOOOOO you can't just lose a whole tankerino!!!! My heckin' theory!!!!"
"haha, tugboat go blubbbbb"

 

[mindlessobserver]

OK, rumor time:

At the Port of Beirut, Warehouses 5 & 12 are apparently defacto-controlled by Hezbollah, and no one is allowed to question what goes in and out.

Second, LBC 8 pm Thursday apparently reported that the ammonium nitrate was 39% nitrate, meaning that it was weapons-grade material and not suitable for agriculture. Makes sense considering that the shipment was originally destined for a Mozambique weapons plant...or was it?


Bob Woodward notes in Fear that Hezbollah has agents in Mozambique as well: https://clubofmozambique.com/news/hezbollah-has-people-in-mozambique-derek-harvey-told-bob-woodward/

Another note is that Nasrallah had threatened Ammonia bombs recently, and Hezbollah-linked operatives had been caught shipping Ammonia Nitrate in Cyprus and London in the past few years as well:

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/08/05/Watch-Hezbollah-chief-explains-explosion-scenario-similar-to-Beirut-blast

https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/08/05/ammonium-nitrate-found-in-cyprus-in-2015-destroyed-police-say/

Iran-linked terrorists caught stockpiling explosives in north-west London

Terrorists linked to Iran were caught stockpiling tonnes of explosive materials on the outskirts of London in a secret British bomb factory, The Telegraph can reveal.

www.telegraph.co.uk

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/hezbollah-stockpiled-chemical-behind-beirut-blast-in-london-637578

Another note- it seems that the Warehouse that exploded (12) was locked during the fire:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-firefighters-Beiruts-Warehouse-12-blast.html
View attachment 1503983
Seems to dispel the welding story? I've heard that the picture of the workers fixing the door was dated back to 2014- can someone help find a source for that?

Finally, I wonder if the first explosion was munitions cooking off- fireworks seem to be fizzier and more random?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuN4xirvhHY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QCp334oCLc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtmNO8pgXnE

France looking to pull Lebanon back into its orbit and Macron looking to booster his reputation at home and internationally?

Maybe Françafrique has room for one more member?

If the really were storing weapons grade nitrate in an open air warehouse in an urban area they really are dumber then a box of rocks. This stuff is actually my wheel house thanks to my army days. It was common for use in I.E.D's, and everyone in the military got up to speed on it pretty quick. I even got the opportunity to tour the munitions lab at Indian Head where they also make nitrate explosives and "other stuff". The level of autism they apply to safety protocols is astounding. You have to put on paper shoes and hair coverings before you enter the building. And even with all those precautions they have had a couple major incidents over the years.

The guy doing the tour commented that most of the shit heels we will find making the stuff won't be anywhere near as safe, considering how amazingly easy it is to make the stuff. "I could make nitrate with a fuel tanker and a rubber bucket. But I won't though because I like living". He was right too. In Iraq moron goat fuckers blew themselves up all the time making I.E.D's . I can absolutely believe hezbollah was dumb enough to store their bomb making materials all in one place and above ground at a busy port.

 

[murdered meat bag]

Did this guy go "woo hoo" as soon as he realized he wasn't dead? This is great.

maybe he was checking his hearing? his eardrums would've popped.

 

[thx1138]

Pretty good, pretty good. I think I can top that though. This bridal shoot is taken at a slightly different angle and the human reaction is a little better with the facial recognition of the blast and the body language/reaction.
View attachment 1504928
beirut bridal boom.mp4

I just hope they're OK, too.

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

q0HEnDrl_cMvDFEt.mp4
New Video emerged. The warehouses man, complete fuckup.

I can't help but laugh in how the What The Fuck is being stopped before saying the last word like in some cartoon.
Really the most amazing thing is how catastrophic was the shockwave.

Edit: As for the theories if it was a Hezbolla supplies storehouse, I think it's weird that the government basically admitted it was their fault rather than shift the blame to another party. Especially with how they are supposedly corrupt they are. It would make sense if they are doing it to protect Hezbolla who's the immediate suspect.