By Tom Perry and Ghaida Ghantous BEIRUT (Reuters) – More than 15 years since Lebanon’s Rafik al-Hariri was killed by a massive bomb blast in Beirut, the verdict of a U.N.-backed tribunal into his assassination is due on Tuesday as the country reels from the aftermath of an even bigger explosion. The Aug. 4 port blast, which killed 178 people, has overshadowed the long-awaited verdict. It was the biggest explosion in Lebanon’s history and more powerful than the bomb that killed Hariri and 21 others on Beirut’s seafront corniche in 2005. Hariri, a Sunni billionaire seen as a threat to Iranian and Syrian influence in Lebanon, had close ties with the United States, Western and Sunni Gulf Arab allies opposed to Iran’s expanding role in Lebanon and the region.

Four members of the Iran-backed Shi’ite group Hezbollah have been on trial in absentia over the killing of Saudi-backed Hariri, Lebanon’s main Sunni Muslim leader. Hezbollah denies any role in the killing, which set the stage for years of confrontation, culminating in a brief civil war in 2008. The verdict comes as new divisions emerge over demands for an international inquiry and political accountability for the port blast, caused by a huge amount of unsafely stored chemicals. It may further complicate an already tumultuous situation following the explosion and the resignation of the government backed by Hezbollah and its allies. “We’re scared. The country is unsettled,” said Ebtisam Salam, a woman in her 60s, from Beirut’s Tariq al-Jadida neighbourhood, a political stronghold of the Hariri’s Future Movement which has been led by his son Saad son his death. She plans to watch the verdict on TV. “Hopefully the truth will come out,” she said.

By Barbara Wojazer and Rory Sullivan — CNN — — Lebanese President Michel Aoun has said it would be “impossible” for him to resign following calls for him to leave office over the deadly explosion in Beirut. His comments came after the Lebanese government stepped down on Monday night in the wake of the blast that killed more than 170 people and injured more than 6,000 others. Speaking about the possibility of his resignation, Aoun said in a recorded interview with French network BFM Saturday: “This is impossible, because this would lead to a power vacuum. The government resigned. Let’s imagine that I was to resign. Who would ensure the continuity of power? “If I were to resign, one would need to organize elections right away. But the current situation in the country does not allow the organizations of such elections,” he added. When asked about the investigation into the explosion, Aoun cited its complexity, saying it “won’t be able to be finished very quickly as we wished it to.”

The President added that he has asked the judicial council to supervise the probe and called for an “independent magistrate” to investigate. The massive blast that hit Lebanon’s capital on August 4 damaged much of the city and sparked violent protests against the authorities. Less than a week after the explosion, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab described it as a “disaster beyond measure” during an address in which he announced his resignation and that of his government. In his speech, Diab took aim at Lebanon’s ruling political class for fostering what he called “an apparatus of corruption bigger than the state” and said his government had chosen “to stand with the people” by stepping down. While suggesting that members of his Cabinet had “fought valiantly and with dignity,” he added: “Between us and change is big powerful barrier.”

by euronews.com — France is to resume issuing visas to Lebanese people “out of solidarity” following the devastating explosion that destroyed a large area of the capital Beirut earlier this month. The explosion on August 4 in the port area of the city left at least 171 people dead, injured thousands, and plunged the country […]

By AP — Bassem Mroue and Andrea Rosa — BEIRUT — There can be no financial bailout for Lebanon, a senior U.S. official said Saturday, calling on the country’s political leaders to heed popular calls for change, real reform and an end to endemic corruption. David Hale, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, said the U.S. and its allies will respond to “systemic reforms with sustained financial support.” He also called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the Aug. 4 blast that killed nearly 180 people and wounded thousands. He said an FBI team is arriving this weekend to take part in the probe at the invitation of Lebanese authorities.

Hale arrived in Beirut on Thursday, where he met with volunteers helping out at the site of the blast, as well as the country’s top political and religious leadership. “America calls on Lebanon’s political leaders to finally respond to the people’s longstanding and legitimate demands and create a credible plan – accepted by the Lebanese people – for good governance, sound economic and financial reform, and an end to the endemic corruption that has stifled Lebanon’s tremendous potential,” he said. “But as the dozens of young activists and volunteers I met so bluntly demanded, there can be no bailout,” Hale said in a recorded message posted on the U.S. Embassy website Saturday. Hale’s comments were in line with Washington’s message before the visit. But he didn’t detail whether the U.S. and Western allies are ready to support a government in which Lebanon’s powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group has clout. After visiting the site of the blast, Hale called for the state to exercise control over its borders and ports, in a clear reference to claims Hezbollah group controls them. “We can never go back to an era in which anything goes at the port or borders of Lebanon,” Hale said.

by Shafeeq Alingal — Shukran Qatar (Thanks Qatar) slogans have filled the streets of Beirut after Qatar pledged to help the blast hit Lebanon and aid began to be flown from Doha into the crisis-hit Middle East country. “After the 2006 war, Qatar stood as the main contributor to rebuild Lebanon. We remember Qatar’s generosity and the Shukran Qatar slogans marked our gratitude. The same slogan is now back on our streets,” Ziad Nassar, an activist of the Minteshreen Youth Movement, told Gulf Times. He expressed gratitude to Qatar, as well as businesses and entrepreneurs for donating a portion of their sales proceeds to help their Lebanese sisters and brothers. NGOs, youth movements and rights groups in Lebanon have hailed Qatar’s “instant, effective” aid for Lebanon, which has been reeling under shortages after the August 4 deadly explosion that hit the Beirut port, devastating surrounding areas. They said Qatar’s generosity was “not surprising at all and memorable”. They have urged Qatar to play a leading role in bringing an end to the long pending political chaos and help the youth put pressure on the government to work towards establishing a true democratic state where justice reigns.

The port explosions caused at least 172 deaths, 6,000 injuries, $10–15 billion in property damage, and left an estimated 300,000 people homeless. “Already hit by a political and economic crisis, the blast has aggravated the plight by causing a big humanitarian disaster. Qatar’s help has come as a big relief and at the right time,” he said. Since the October Revolution of 2019 in Lebanon, the 28-year old Qatar resident has been active in Beirut taking part in protests and relief activities. “No surprise to see Qatar in the forefront while it comes to helping Lebanon. Qatar has always been there to support Lebanon whether politically or financially when faced with hardships. Qatar has a penchant for extending relief to us. And this legacy remains intact,” he said, reminiscing several occasions where Qatar played a pivotal role in restoring peace and political stability in his country.

by arabnews.com — TAREK ALI AHMAD — LONDON: As soon as the haunting images of the immense orange cloud filling Beirut’s late-afternoon sky and the terrifying videos of the explosion began circulating, UK-based non-profit Impact Lebanon took the initiative. With an initial goal of raising £20,000 for disaster relief in medical and nutritional aid, the group has since raised more than £6 million — with a target of £7.5 million now set — after enormous worldwide support for what officials describe as a humanitarian disaster. “We’re raising the funds, primarily from the diaspora and the international community in order to help support the work of the local NGOs on the ground,” Impact Lebanon co-founder Diana Abbas told Arab News.

Following the Aug. 4 blast that rocked the capital, Lebanese citizens and residents — both in and outside of the country — immediately mobilized to help after it was evident that the government was not doing so. “We’re doing a vetting process to figure out which NGOs that we need to send money to, and the vetting process involves checking all local NGOs registered, making sure they’re non-sectarian and apolitical,” Abbas said, adding that among these NGOs are the Lebanese Red Cross, Arc En Ciel and Beit El Baraka. The blast, largely blamed on government negligence that left 2,750 tons of confiscated ammonium nitrate stored in a portside warehouse in Beirut for six years, has left at least 180 dead and thousands more injured. More than 300,000 people have lost their homes, while 2,096 restaurants were destroyed.

by npr.org — As terrible as last week’s explosion at Beirut’s port was, killing 172 people and injuring some 6,000 others, it has prompted new hopes for political change in Lebanon. On Monday, Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his cabinet resigned, as it emerged that the blast was likely the result of government negligence. Now Lebanese are calling for major reforms. Daily protests have continued for more than a week on Beirut’s debris-strewn streets, with citizens calling for removal of the entire political class and a restructuring of the country’s political system. They want to sweep away the corruption and cronyism that have plagued governmental institutions for decades. The combination of last week’s explosion and the financial crisis may have created a rare window for removing Lebanon’s despised political class altogether, political analysts suggest. This moment represents a “once-in-a-lifetime battle for the soul of Lebanon,” says Nadim Houry, a Lebanese citizen and director of the Paris-based Arab Reform Initiative, a pro-democracy think tank.

Enormous challenges remain. Here’s what’s at stake and how things may play out: Immediate elections are unlikely Although Diab’s administration has stepped down, it continues to meet as a caretaker government, meaning the cabinet can still convene but does not have the power to create new legislation. Thus far, Lebanon’s leaders have made no mention of early elections. Instead, Lebanese law allows President Michel Aoun, who did not resign, to consult with the parliament on forming a new government. Even before this crisis, putting together a new government involved a complicated discussion. After the previous government fell last year, following massive anti-corruption protests, it took more than two months of political wrangling among the country’s different political blocs before Diab’s government was appointed.

Now many Lebanese do not trust Aoun and other leaders to choose the honest, independent administration for which they are desperate. They worry that any new government formed this way will be stacked with or influenced by the same political figures, whom Houry calls “oligarchs,” who have long controlled the country. “We’ll have to re-live the same scenario from the beginning, until we bring all the political class down,” warns Ghina Nizar Harb, a schoolteacher who took to the streets to protest following Diab’s resignation.

by thearabweekly.com — BEIRUT–Tehran insists on being strongly present in Lebanon after the massive blast at Beirut’s port, with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visiting the Lebanese capital Friday, in conjunction with the visit of the US Assistant Secretary of State David Hale. Soon after his arrival in Lebanon, Zarif, who will be holding meetings with senior Lebanese officials, said that only the Lebanese people and their representatives can decide the country’s future. The blast at the Beirut’s port last week killed 172 people and prompted the government to resign. Iran backs Lebanon’s powerful armed movement Hezbollah, which along with its allies helped form the outgoing government. The United States classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

The Iranian foreign minister played the moral high ground while he checked on his country’s interests in Lebanon. “It is not humane to exploit the pain and suffering of the people for political goals,” Iran’s Zarif told a joint news conference with Lebanon’s caretaker foreign minister. “We believe that the government and the people of Lebanon should decide on the future of Lebanon.” Zarif was speaking after senior US and French officials met President Michel Aoun in a flurry of Western diplomacy that has focused on urging Lebanon to fight entrenched corruption and enact long-delayed reforms to unlock foreign financial aid needed to tackle an economic crisis.

by Zeina Karam and Lori Hinnant The Associated Press — Lebanon’s judicial investigation of the Beirut port explosion started with political wrangling over the naming of a lead investigator, military threats to jail leakers and doubts over whether a panel appointed along sectarian lines could be fully impartial. So for many Lebanese, their greatest hope for credible answers about the blast that wrecked much of their capital may lie with outsiders. Families of the dead and survivors on Friday called on the U.N. Security Council for an international investigation. Others pin their hopes on the French forensic police who have joined the probe and FBI investigators are expected to take part. Two French investigating magistrates have been assigned to the case, the Paris prosecutor’s office said Friday. “We are not lawyers or politicians, we are families and people, our appeal today is to the people of the international community,” said Paul Najjar, a survivor of the explosion. “Is it acceptable today that people would find their homes shattered, their families killed, their hopes and their dreams killed as well, with no justice, in all impunity?”

A Lebanese prosecutor on Friday postponed the questioning of former and current, caretaker finance and public works ministers, pending a letter from the newly appointed investigator assigned to the case that says he lacked the authority to question ministers. French teams have pressed ahead at their work, sending divers into the underwater crater, taking explosives samples and preparing recommendations for both the French and Lebanese magistrates. Among the French judicial police on the case are men and women who responded after the 2004 tsunami in Japan, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and the November 2015 and Bastille Day 2016 terror attacks in France.

by foxnews.com — Brooke Singman —President Trump on Thursday announced what he called a “Historic Peace Agreement” between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, saying they agreed to “full normalization of relations.” “HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates!” Trump tweeted Thursday morning. The president, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed released a joint statement Thursday, after the three spoke “and agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.” The statement said that the “diplomatic breakthrough” was at “the request of President Trump,” and that Israel will “suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President’s Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world.”

Israel and the UAE also said they will continue their efforts to “achieve a just, comprehensive and enduring resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” “This historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential in the region,” the statement read. “All three countries face many common challenges and will mutually benefit from today’s historic achievement.” Delegations from Israel and the UAE are expected to meet in the coming weeks to “sign bilateral agreements regarding investment, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare, culture, the environment, the establishment of reciprocal embassies, and other areas of mutual benefit.” “Opening direct ties between two of the Middle East’s most dynamic societies and advanced economies will transform the region by spurring economic growth, enhancing technological innovation, and forging closer people-to-people relations,” the statement also read. Trump on Thursday said he had a call with Israel and the United Arab Emirates.