Lebanon FM claims satellite images of Beirut explosion yet to be provided by US, France

Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib claimed that the United States and France had not supplied satellite photographs of the explosion at Beirut's port. Russia, on the other hand, has already supplied satellite images to Lebanon. During a visit to the Diplomatic Academy of Russia's Foreign Ministry in Moscow, the minister stated that they have requested satellite images from the US and France, however, they have not responded. He continued by saying that they requested the same from Russia, and it was supplied.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russia has provided Beirut with satellite photographs of the Lebanon blast site. The Lebanese Foreign Minister expressed gratitude to Moscow and stated that the photographs would aid the inquiry, according to Times of Israel. In a press conference, he stated that they will pass the images over to the Lebanese judiciary in the hopes of discovering the truth about this tragedy that has struck Lebanon.

Lavrov stated that he hoped that the photos would aid in the inquiry. He said that the experts from Roscosmos stated it should aid specialists in determining what happened based on the nature of the destruction. According to Times of Israel, he hopes that Lebanese specialists, most likely with the assistance of foreign colleagues, can resolve this issue, which has become a major political irritation in Lebanon.

On August 4, 2020, a large explosion occurred in Beirut's harbour, killing 218 people, wounding 7,000 people, and demolishing around 300,000 dwellings. The detonation of a substantial amount of ammonium nitrate, which is a highly explosive chemical used in fertilisers, stockpiled at the Port of Beirut after the customs agency confiscated it in 2014, according to Lebanese authorities, caused the explosion.

3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been kept incorrectly in the Beirut port

For years, nearly 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been kept incorrectly in the Beirut port, according to the Times of Israel. The explosion was described as one of the world's worst non-nuclear explosions. But, more than a year later, no one knows what started the fire that resulted in the explosion.

(Inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP)