A week after the explosion, which destroyed large parts of Beirut and left 163 dead, new details were revealed about the higher authorities' knowledge of the imminent occurrence of the disaster and the efforts made by the security apparatus to avoid the danger, but which caused it to happen quickly.

After the government resigned on Monday, internal and external reactions to the blast followed, and the protesters adhered to the demand to completely change the political class.

Documents reviewed by Reuters showed that Lebanese security officials warned the prime minister and president of the state last month that the presence of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in a warehouse in Beirut port posed a security risk that could destroy the capital if these materials explode.

After more than two weeks of warning, the massive explosion took place, which wiped out most of the port, killing 163 people, wounding 6,000 others, and destroying about 6,000 buildings.

A report from the General Directorate of State Security on the events that led to the explosion included a reference to a letter sent by private mail to President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Hassan Diab on July 20.

A senior security official said that the aforementioned letter summarizes the findings of a judicial investigation that began last January and concluded that the chemicals must be secured immediately.

"There was a risk that these materials would be used in a terrorist attack if they were stolen," the security official told Reuters.

Referring to the letter, the official said, "At the end of the investigation, Attorney General Oweidat prepared a final report that was sent to the authorities."

"I warned them that this might destroy Beirut if it exploded," said the official, who participated in the drafting of the letter and asked not to be named.

To ward No. 12
, the Al-Jazeera office in Beirut said that the Lebanese circles are circulating information that the State Security Agency informed all officials, including Aoun and Diab, about the danger of this substance being present in Ward No. 12 of the port.

He added that Hassan Diab was supposed to make an inspection visit to the place, and in parallel, the State Security Agency brought blacksmiths to install iron doors in the ward, and during their work the fire broke out.
"Maintenance has started and (the port authorities) sent a team of Syrian workers (but) there was no one to supervise them when they entered to fix the gaps," a security official told Reuters.

The official added that sparks blew from the welding work during the repair, and a fire started and the fires began to spread.

A senior security official said, "Due to the storage of fireworks in the same ward, an hour later, a large fire started with the fireworks, and this extended to the substance that exploded when the temperature exceeded 210 degrees."

The official held the port authorities responsible for not supervising the repair team, and storing the explosives, along with a large quantity of high explosive materials.

Reuters reported that it was unable to ascertain the fate of the workers who were performing repair work in the ward.

"The impact of the explosion was mitigating only because the hangar faces the sea. Otherwise, all of Beirut would be destroyed. It is all negligence, a sense of responsibility, poor storage and miscalculation," the official said.

Igniting anger,
Reuters reported that it is possible that the talk about this message will provoke new criticism and feed popular anger over the explosion, which "was considered the latest example of government neglect and corruption that pushed Lebanon into economic collapse."

The security message came on the heels of a series of memoranda and letters sent by port, customs and security officials to the courts over the past six years, in which they repeatedly urged judges to issue an order to transfer the ammonium nitrate from its location very close to the city center.

The road leading to the tragedy began last week 7 years ago when the ship "Roussos", chartered for Russia and flying the Moldovan flag, anchored in Beirut and carried a shipment of ammonium nitrate from Georgia to Mozambique.

The ship was intending to transport additional cargo to manage tolls through the Suez Canal, according to its captain.

The State Security report indicated that the port authorities detained the vessel in December 2013 by Judicial Order 1031/2013 due to debts owed to it by two companies that applied to the judiciary in Beirut to seize it.

In May 2014, the authorities deemed the ship unseaworthy, and its cargo was unloaded in October 2014 and stored in what is known as hangar 12.

Revolution in Lebanon In
addition, US President Donald Trump said that the explosion of the Beirut port is a sad and catastrophic matter, and Lebanon has never witnessed the like. Trump described what is happening in Lebanon now as a revolution.

He added that he had spoken with the leaders of the seven major industrialized countries about Lebanon, "which in fact witnessed the saddest and most catastrophic event I have ever seen. They have no idea how many people have died. They have a revolution now in that country. What happened is terrible."

For his part, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, urged the member states of the organization to help the Lebanese people to face the effects of the Beirut port explosion.

Guterres said that a credible and transparent investigation should be conducted to determine the cause of the explosion and hold those responsible accountable.

He added that it is also important to achieve reforms to meet the needs of the Lebanese in the long term.

He explained that the United Nations will continue to support Lebanon by all possible means during this emergency, noting that the explosion came at a difficult time as Lebanon faces economic difficulties and the impact of the Corona pandemic.

Change the political class
Earlier, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced the resignation of his government. He justified this by responding to the Lebanese’s demands that those responsible for the Beirut Port disaster be held accountable, and their desire for real change to the rule of law, justice and transparency.

Diab called for a change in the political class, which he said was the cause of the true tragedy of the Lebanese people.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that the system of corruption is rooted in all aspects of Lebanon and is greater than the state. He warned of other calamities that may befall Lebanon if protection continues to be described as the class that trades in people's blood.

Confrontations took place in Martyrs Square in the center of the Lebanese capital between security forces and protesters demanding accountability for those responsible for the Beirut port explosion.

There is tension in the vicinity of Martyrs' Square, and some protesters approached one of the streets leading to the parliament headquarters, where they threw stones at members of the security forces, who responded with tear gas grenades.

A number of protesters raised slogans denouncing what they called rampant corruption in state institutions, calling for the formation of a neutral government and early parliamentary elections.

Regarding the outcome of the losses, the Lebanese army announced that its rescue teams were able to retrieve 5 bodies, which raises the total toll of the explosion to 163 dead, more than 6,000 wounded, and 16 missing.

The Lebanese government has referred the file of the Beirut port explosion to the Judicial Council, which is the highest judicial authority in Lebanon.