MANY INJURED, PROPERTIES DESTROYED AS EXPLOSION HITS LEBANON (VIDEO)
An explosion has hit Beirut, the Lenbanese capital, on Tuesday, August 4th, 2020, injuring several people and destroying many buildings across the city.
The blast comes ahead of the verdict in a trial over the killing of former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri in 2005.
Reports indicate that the explosion was in the port area of the city, and the cause of the explosion is not known.
According to Al Jazeera, the explosion has brutalized hundreds of people in the city.
A United Nations (UN) Tribunal is set to issue its verdict in the trial of four suspects involved in the murder of the Prime Minister.
The four suspects, who belong to the he Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, have consistently denied having anything to do with Rafik Hariri.
On the morning of 14th February 2005, Rafik Hariri, was travelling in a motorcade when the explosion went off in a busy area full of hotels and banks, causing widespread damage.
Mr Hariri had been one of Lebanon's most prominent Sunni politicians and, at the time of his death, had joined calls for Syria to withdraw troops which had been in Lebanon since 1976 following the start of the civil war.
The killing brought tens of thousands of demonstrators on to the streets in protest against the pro-Syrian government, with the finger of blame for the assassination pointed at Lebanon's heavily influential neighbour.
They are being tried in absentia and the verdict is due on Friday.
There was also a second possible explosion at the residence of the former late Prime Minister.
Lebanon's Health Minister, Hamad Hasan, who confirmed the incident said there were severe injuries of varying degrees sustained to a large number of people, and extensive damages were done to properties.
The number of casualties from the incident has not been ascertained as at the time of filing this report.
The incident comes amid political tension in Lebanon, with street demonstrations and protests against the Government's handling of the worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
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