Former Lebanon's PM Holds Government Accountable for Beirut Deadly Blasts

On Wednesday, Former Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, inspected the damage of the explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday and left dozens killed and more than 4000 injured.

In press statements, Hariri held the Lebanese current government complete responsibility for the devastating blast, which indicated years of inaction and negligence over the storage of highly explosive material caused the explosion.

The former PM also called for a foreign role in investigating the blast that “once again killed the heart of Beirut.

“We ask the government … for a transparent judicial and security investigation without compromise, denial or circumventing the truth,” he noted.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun promised a transparent investigation into the causes of the explosion, vowing Wednesday that those responsible would be held accountable and face 'severe punishment.'

On his part, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab considered what happened “a great catastrophe that struck Lebanon,” adding that a quick process of repairing damages and providing urgent aid to help people has been initiated.

Diab also called upon “All political forces (Lebanese) to stop the confrontations and focus on addressing the repercussions of the explosion.”

[caption id="attachment_141326" align="aligncenter" width="275"] Beirut Blast[/caption]

The Beirut port, where the explosion took place, is of great strategic importance as it includes the main grain silo in the country, and also the store of the most important strategic commodities that the government imports such as wheat and fuel. It also involves in about 70% of the trade exchange between Lebanon and the countries of the world.

The Beirut Port witnessed a massive explosion, which occurred in a warehouse in Ward 12, near the silos of wheat. The sound was heard throughout Beirut, while the explosion resulted in dozens of deaths, thousands of injuries, and the destruction of many buildings.

Notably, Hariri's father and also a former premier, Rafik Hariri, was killed in a large truck bomb attack in 2015 in the capital.

The assassination sparked nationwide protests and forced the collapse of a government as well as the withdrawal of Syrian troops that had stationed in Lebanon after the civil war from 1975-1990, ending Damascus’s tutelage over its neighbor.