Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah stated that Hezbollah's insistence on imposing its control over Lebanon is the cause of the problems. He expressed concern over the lack of tangible results from the investigation into the Beirut port explosion. Prince Faisal bin Farhan emphasized that any assistance provided to Lebanon depends first on reforms.
On Tuesday, a conference for donor countries to Lebanon was held via video at the invitation of France and under the auspices of the United Nations; this is the third such conference since the explosion at the Beirut port. U.S. President Joe Biden pledged an additional $100 million in humanitarian aid to Lebanon. The French presidency stated that the conference raised over $370 million in aid needed to meet humanitarian needs in Lebanon.
For his part, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan reiterated the Kingdom’s solidarity with the Lebanese people during times of crisis and challenges. He noted that the Kingdom was one of the first countries to provide aid to Lebanon after the Beirut port explosion. He added that Saudi Arabia will maintain its ongoing contribution to the reconstruction of Lebanon, pointing out that Lebanon is facing difficulties in forming an "effective" government.
He stressed that "Hezbollah's insistence on asserting its dominance over the Lebanese state is the main reason" for Lebanon's issues. He continued, "We are concerned that the investigations into the Beirut port explosion have not yet yielded any tangible results." He confirmed that any assistance to the current or future Lebanese government "depends on it undertaking serious and tangible reforms, ensuring aid reaches those in need, and avoiding any mechanism that allows corrupt individuals to control Lebanon's fate."
**Beirut Port Explosion Details**
On August 4, 2020, a fire broke out at the Beirut port, followed by a massive explosion at around six o'clock and a few minutes (15:00 GMT) whose echoes reached the island of Cyprus, causing massive destruction in the port and surrounding neighborhoods, affecting most of the city and its suburbs. Authorities attributed the explosion to 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored since 2014 in warehouse number 12 at the port. The explosion killed at least 214 people, including port employees and firefighters who were attempting to extinguish the fire, while others were killed in their homes due to falling glass, in their cars, or in streets, cafes, and shops. Many families buried only fragments that remained of their loved ones.
In a country that has witnessed assassinations and bombings over the past twenty years, rarely resolved and with no accountability for the perpetrators, the Lebanese people are still waiting for answers to determine responsibility and the spark that led to one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in the world.
