Chinanews.com, August 9th, a comprehensive report that the number of casualties is increasing, thousands of people have taken to the streets to demonstrate, and the new crown infection cases have reached a new high... The large-scale explosion at the port of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, put the country’s political, financial, and administrative Crash state. Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that only by holding parliamentary elections in advance can we get out of the crisis. At present, the investigation results of the incident have not yet been released. What is the fuse of this disaster?

On the evening of August 4, local time, a violent explosion occurred in the port area of ​​Beirut, Lebanon. The port area is very close to Beirut's urban area. The explosion affected nearly half of Beirut's urban area and many buildings were damaged.

　The number of casualties rose again

　　The explosion caused the spread of the new crown epidemic

　　On the 8th local time, the Media Office of the Ministry of Health of Lebanon announced the latest deaths and injuries in the Beirut port bombing. The number of victims rose to 158, more than 6,000 were injured, and 21 people were still missing.

　　The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on the 8th that the wife of the Dutch ambassador to Lebanon, Hedwig Waltmans-Molier, died of serious injuries in the big explosion at the age of 55.

　　According to a report from the Syrian News Agency on the 8th, preliminary statistics showed that at least 43 Syrian citizens died in the bombing. Due to the statistics of casualties and the search for missing persons are still in progress, the final figure is still uncertain. The Syrian Embassy will strengthen coordination with relevant parties in Lebanon, assist in searching for missing persons, and provide Lebanon with various forms of assistance as far as possible.

　　At the same time, it was affected by the explosion. Data released by the Ministry of Health of Lebanon on the 7th showed that there were 279 new confirmed cases of new crown in Lebanon in the past 24 hours, a new one-day high. As of the 7th, Lebanon had a total of 5951 confirmed cases, a total of 70 deaths, and a total of 2042 cured.

　　After the explosion, the Lebanese authorities abandoned all epidemic prevention measures. The national medical system is busy treating the casualties, and some nucleic acid testing activities have to be suspended. In addition, some hospitals were damaged in the explosion, affecting the admission of patients.

　　Health Minister Hamad Hassan stated that the explosion in the Beirut port area had overwhelmed the hospital and seriously affected the anti-epidemic measures. It is expected that the epidemic in Lebanon will continue to spread in the next one to two weeks.

The combined picture shows the scene after the explosion on August 22, 2019, the port of Beirut, Lebanon, and August 5, 2020.

　　Negligence or external attack?

　　Lebanese Hezbollah calls for thorough investigation of the truth

　　Currently, investigations into the cause of the explosion are still underway. Earlier, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab stated at the Supreme Defense Council meeting that the explosion was caused by improper storage of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in the port for 6 years.

　　Lebanese President Michel Aoun stated at the Presidential Palace on the 7th that the Beirut port warehouse explosion could not be ruled out as a result of an "external attack." Future investigations will focus on whether the explosion was negligent, purely accidental, or external intervention by missiles or bombs. result.

　　Some people called for an international investigation into the Beirut port warehouse explosion. In this regard, Aoun rejected this proposal, believing that allowing other countries to intervene in the investigation would "dilute the truth."

　　On the other hand, Lebanese Hezbollah denies storing arms in a warehouse in Beirut, the capital, and calls for a thorough investigation of the port explosion.

　　Nasrallah questioned why the relevant authorities allowed large amounts of ammonium nitrate to be stored in the port warehouse for a long time. "Even if someone deliberately launched an attack this time, if this batch of ammonium nitrate was indeed stored in the warehouse for so many years, then the explosion was partly due to (Of some people) negligence and corruption". He called for a fair investigation of the bombing incident and the relevant personnel to be held accountable strictly.

After the explosion, the injured sat on the side of the road waiting for rescue.

Justice for the victims

　　Thousands of demonstrations sparked conflict

　　The demonstrators threw stones, smoke bombs, etc. at the police, who used tear gas to disperse the crowd-this is the scene that took place in Beirut on the 8th local time.

　　On the same day, a large-scale demonstration took place in Beirut, and the demonstrators clashed with the police. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in downtown Beirut to protest against the explosion in the Beirut port area and the corruption of the authorities.

　　The Lebanese internal security forces confirmed in a statement that a policeman was attacked and killed by protesters. The Lebanese Red Cross announced that 238 people were injured in the conflict, including demonstrators and police.

　　Local television footage showed that the demonstrators clashed with the police when they tried to enter the area where the Lebanese Parliament building is located. During the demonstration, some demonstrators broke into the buildings of the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Environment and set fire to some vehicles or buildings.

On August 5, local time, debris was scattered on the floor of the Lebanese Parliament Hall in the central area of ​​Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.

　Corruption becomes a "fuse"

　　Can early elections get out of the crisis?

　　"Only by holding parliamentary elections in advance can we get out of the crisis." Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said in a televised speech.

　　He said that corruption was the cause of the Beirut port bombing incident and suggested that the plan for early parliamentary elections be submitted at the next government meeting.

　　Diab said that Lebanon’s politics, finance, and administration are in a state of collapse. Only by holding parliamentary elections in advance can we get rid of the country’s structural crisis. He urged all political factions in Lebanon to put aside their differences, reach consensus on the next steps, and work together for reform. Diab stated that he will continue to serve as prime minister for two months and hopes that all factions can reach an agreement during this period.

　　Beginning on October 17, 2019, large-scale demonstrations broke out in many places in Lebanon. The demonstrators demanded the resignation of the government and the formation of a new technical expert government. On October 29, then Prime Minister Hariri announced his resignation. On December 19, Lebanese President Aoun appointed Diab as the prime minister of the new government and authorized him to form a cabinet. On January 21, 2020, Diab completed the cabinet formation.