Trump calls deadly Beirut explosions a ‘terrible attack’ and says US is ready to assist Lebanon after at least 78 are killed and more than 4,000 injured
President Donald Trump described a series of deadly explosions in Beirut as a ‘terrible attack’ Tuesday, despite no evidence currently suggesting the blasts were intentional.
A series of massive explosions in the Lebanese capital’s port area rocked the city on Tuesday evening local time, killing at least 78 people and injuring more than 4,000 others.
‘The United States stands ready to assist Lebanon,’ Trump said of the devastating scenes during a White House briefing. ‘We will be there to help. It looks like a terrible attack.’
When quizzed by a reporter if he was certain the explosion was in fact an attack, Trump said he had ‘met with some of our great generals and they seem to feel that it was.
‘This was not some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event. They would know better than I would,’ the president continued. ‘They seem to think … it was a bomb of some kind, yes.’
far, no evidence has been released to the public to indicate that the explosions were the result of an attack.
The Pentagon has not yet returned a DailyMail.com request for comment on the claims made by Trump.
Multiple videos of the blast show fires and thick plumes of smoke emanating from a building in Beirut’s port area before a mushroom cloud erupts, sending a shockwave ripping through the city.
Hundreds of buildings were leveled in the horrific explosion. The death toll is expected to rise significantly as emergency personnel continue to pull out bodies out from beneath the rubble.
‘Our prayers go out to all the victims and their families,’ Trump said. ‘The United States stands ready to assist Lebanon.’
Contrary to Trump’s claims, the Lebanese government says it’s still investigating the source of the explosion.
Officials say early indications suggest the blast occurred when a warehouse storing explosive materials caught on fire.
A large stock of ammonium nitrate was being stored in the building where the explosions occurred, Lebanese Interior Minister, Mohammed Fahmi said.
The materials were said to have been confiscated from a ship in 2014. Fahmi has called for an investigation to determine how they ignited
