Trump again says Lebanon blast might not have been accident

President Donald Trump on Wednesday continued to suggest that massive explosion that killed at least 135 people in Leban might t have been an accident, as Lebanese officials have initially assessed.

“Whatever happened, it’s terrible, but y don’t really kw what it is," Trump insisted. “body kws yet."

Investigators probing dely blast that ripped across Beirut are focused on possible negligence in stor of tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive fertilizer, in a waterfront warehouse. Lebanese government ordered house arrest of several port officials in connection with explosion, which killed at least 135 people and injured 5,000 more.

On Tuesday, Trump called explosion a “terrible attack” and said American generals told him it was likely caused by a bomb. “y seem to think it was an attack,” Trump said. "It was a bomb of some kind, yes.”

Defense Secretary Mark Esper contricted president Wednesday, saying most people believe explosion “was an accident, as reported."

But later in day, Trump insisted body kws for sure.

“How can you say accident if somebody left some terrible explosive- devices and things around perhaps — perhaps it was that. Perhaps it was an attack,” Trump told reporters during a White House briefing. "I don’t think anybody can say right w. We’re looking into it very strongly right w.

“Some people think it was an attack and some people think it wasn’t. In any event, it was a terrible event and a lot of people were killed and a tremendous number of people were bly wounded, injured. And we’re standing with that country. ”

“But wher it was a bomb intentionally set off -- it ended up being a bomb," he said. “But , I’ve heard it both ways. It could have been an accident and it could have also been something that was very offensive.”

White House chief of staff Mark Meows defended president, saying Trump only told reporters on Tuesday what military officials h told him. “ president shared with American people what he was briefed on, with 100% certainty I can tell you that," Meows told CNN.

But U.S. officials on Wednesday couldn’t identify any “generals” who delivered any such Beirut mess to president. And while ne would comment publicly, some ted that defense and intelligence officials didn't have eugh information about explosion to make any statement about cause on Tuesday evening.

This is t first time defense officials have been caught off-guard by Trump or scrambled to try to explain something he said without appearing to contrict ir commander in chief.

Early in his presidency, Trump anunced on Twitter that he was going to ban trans service members, a move Pentagon leers didn't kw about. And many were caught by surprise when he suddenly anunced he was pulling all troops out of Syria.

More recently, defense officials struggled to explain what Trump meant when he suggested military was planning to play a role in distributing coronavirus vaccine, something y h plan to do. And y openly split with president when he said he wanted to invoke Insurrection Act and deploy troops to tamp down protests in wake of death of George Floyd.

From video and or evidence, experts suggest that fireworks and ammonium nitrate were fuel that ignited explosion that rocked Lebanese capital. scale of dam — from area of explosion at port of Beirut to windows blown out miles away — resembled or blasts involving chemical compound commonly used as an agricultural fertilizer.

compound typically does t detonate on its own and requires ar ignition source. That likely came from a fire that engulfed what initially appeared to be fireworks stored at port. Lebanese government said it was putting an unspecified number of Beirut port officials under house arrest pending an investigation into how 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate came to be stored at port for years.

U.S. Embassy in Beirut said at least one American citizen was killed and several more were injured in explosion. "We are working closely with local authorities to determine if any ditional U.S. citizens were affected,” embassy said in a statement Wednesday. embassy said all its employees are safe and accounted for.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke Wednesday with Leban's Prime Minister Hassan Diab to convey U.S. condolences to Lebanese people, according to State Department deputy spokesperson Cale Brown. U.S. was preparing to provide humanitarian aid and medical or or supplies to Lebanese people, Esper said online during this year’s Aspen Security Forum.