US Defense, "Beirut Explosion Not an Attack"

Denies Mention of Trump Bomb Attack

The before and after of the Beirut explosion in Lebanon can be seen through satellite images. The top image shows the scene before the accident, and the bottom image shows the aftermath.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, judged that the cause of the explosion in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, was an accident. This opinion contrasts sharply with that of U.S. President Donald Trump, who suggested it might have been a bomb attack.

According to Bloomberg on the 5th (local time), Secretary Esper said at the Aspen Security Forum that "most people believe it was an accident as reported." This reaffirmed the Defense Department's statement the previous day that there were no signs of an attack in the Beirut explosion.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also introduced his phone call with Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Twitter, describing it only as a "horrible explosion" without any mention of an attack.

The day before, President Trump characterized the Beirut explosion disaster as a "horrible attack" during a COVID-19 task force briefing, claiming that military generals judged it as an attack and that it was caused by a bomb.

Meanwhile, around the time of President Trump's remarks, the Lebanese side estimated that the disaster was caused by ammonium nitrate, an explosive material.