Elijah J Magnier’s Tweets on the Massive Explosion in Beirut
Veteran War Correspondent: Covered & lived for +3 decades in Bosnia, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Libya, Sudan & more.
Elijah J. Magnier @ejmalrai 6h
Thread on #Lebanon #Beirut explosion: Yesterday there were 3 waves: 1. The first waves felt and sounded like an explosion with a positive pressure 2. The second wave was a suction negative pressure that pulled eye witness (who were injured and told me this) around the room
The eye withness is a PhD Chemical Engineer teacher at Universities in #Beirut who was in his office close to the harbour. 3. The last explosion (always of the same source) was the biggest blast, more powerful than the previous two, with positive pressure
The product in question is Ammonium nitrate, considered a stable component and can withstand very high temperature without exploding on its own. All reported incidents worldwide to indicate that even when a fire caught ammonium nitrate, there is enough time to evacuate safely.
In some incident reported more than two hours of flame without an explosion occurred, which gives enough time to prevent the explosion and evacuate all personnel and civilians in the area.
In #Beirut, even if the ammonium nitrate was stored in a fully closed well-sealed area, high pressure is not likely to trigger the explosion. The first explosion, according to the eye witness in the vicinity, was relatively small and not strongly felt but heard.+
Those who have spread the news about "#Hezbollah explosive warehouse at the Lebanese harbour". I spoke to several sources and this is my conclusion:
The Harbour is controlled by several security forces, including those who are pro and against #Hezbollah. Too many eyes, too many witnesses and a location considered not only "unfriendly" but also unecessary.+
#Hezbollah truck flow on regular basis from #Syria to #Lebanon without the need to use the harbour or the airport and not even the official borders between #Lebanon and #Syria.
#Hezbollah supports an international investigation. Its leadership knows the ammonium nitrate can't explode on its own & a professional investigation wld shed light on what has happened coz it is a national catastrophe & the number of casualties deserves a proper investigation.
There is no #Hezbollah weapons cache at the #Beirut harbour & no #Israel attack coz the circumstances of the explosion were present with a huge fire before the explosion ongoing and firemen trying to control it. Sorry for all the conspiracy theorists around.
The first Iranian field hospital in Beirut will be up & running before noon today Beirut time
The distribution of Iranian aid to our Lebanese sisters & brothers began an hour ago
If the American regime has any decency, it would end the painful sanctions on Lebanon now pic.twitter.com/rpD6v3YWR4
— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) August 5, 2020
#Lebanon #Beirut
I just spoke to the General who wrote the report about the presence of Ammonium Nitrate at the harbour (n.12) in Beirut and the conditions he found the AN. He told me he has submitted the report last year with a video and photos +— Elijah J. Magnier (@ejmalrai) August 5, 2020
The report was forwarded to the Lebanese Army Intelligence branch, to the direction of the customs and to the President of the council of Ministers's office (Saad Hariri at the time because the report was sent last year). #Beirut #LebanonExplosion
The General of the National Sec told me that the AN was leaking and pilled in an unprofessional storage way. But the biggest surprise he gave me is the following: There were poisonous material (I promised him not to share a lot of info) nearby at the Harbour #LebanonExplosion
The General said the Lebanese President Michel Aoun asked about the report yesterday and was forwarded to him. The Lebanese officer said the ship was heading towards Mozambique but stopped in #Lebanon to offload merchandise but also for repair.
The General said that because of the damage to the ship and becausde the ship needed repair, the owners left it behind because the taxi at the Harbour was too elevated. The AN shipment was confiscated by the Lebanese authorities and nobody really cared what to do with it.
The number of casualties is now officially 113 (with a strong possibility to increase), 5,000 wounded and there are around 300,000 homeless due to the explosion. This is the first time, after world war II, that a city is hit by an equivalent of 1000 tons of TNT (2700 tons of AN)
According to manuals for the brand of NH4NO3 believed to have been in those warehouses, the [explosive potential] (pardon my lack of technical terminology) was 0.20 the bag weight, so 550 tons. Still massive, and maybe even more incredible how much damage was done.
Iran's first batch of aid consisting of 9 tons of foodstuff, medicine & medical equipment arrived in #Beirut.
The first Iranian field hospital in Beirut, running and operational at the moment.
A 22-member medical team is now working tirelessly in Beirut to provide help. pic.twitter.com/RhHKgyt3NN
— Mehrdad Torabi (@mehrdadt1987) August 5, 2020
Is the US going to lift sanctions on Lebanon now? #BeirutBlast #BeirutExplosion pic.twitter.com/2a1zc5uSDu
— Syrian Girl (@Partisangirl) August 5, 2020
The whole burning was initiated by the first explosion which shifted the chemical reaction towards the high rate explosion.
The last blast caused the explosion after the reaction was already initiated. pic.twitter.com/R8I68baecp— Elijah J. Magnier (@ejmalrai) August 5, 2020
https://iranian.com/author/elijah-j-magnier/
please free to enter more current tweets at will; my eyes are bonkers and need some down time.
Comments
Just sayin
https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/07/31/in-dramatic-policy-shift-israel-t...
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
holy hasbara!
i need a shower! and as RT had it, immediately ken roth of the compromised human rights watch blamed it on Hezbollah! ...then deleted his tweet.
oddly, the one issue that HRW's ever gotten morally correct is I/P. ooopsie; or do i mean Shamnesty Int'l?
but there's no way for me to vouchsafe elijah's conclusions, of course.
on edit: ping! this is elijah's pinned tweet at the top:
tRump is most likely praying for this war
if only cuz in his greatest ever mind it would help with his
reelection. UFB
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
Obviously, the USA has to bomb somebody now
to show the world that we will not let shit like this happen. We are the Indispensable Nation, the All Purpose Bomb Dropper State, punishing all who deserve it.
Keep a sharp eye out for "intelligence" on this. We must know who to bomb.
I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.
any guesses?
i'd say iran, a two-fer for bibi, 2. but even his military knows how crazy that would be.
syria again? bibi and boss tweet have officially recognized that the golan heights belong to israel.
isn't 'US intelligence' an oxymoron by now? make shit up give it to the CIA Times to report by anonymous intelligence officials?
This assumes
that we actually *aim*...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
So ...
... one kiloton, or a half-kiloton, or maybe a couple of kilotons. 300,000 homeless.
A MOAB is a conventional bomb with (according to wikipedia) a yield of 11 kilotons. El Trumpo fired off one of those at the start of his term just because he could.
How can you look at something like this and think "we need more and bigger bombs". Seems like this one is plenty big enough to me.
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone
wasn't that when fareed
zakaria had solemnly intoned: "Today donald trump became the president!"
MOAB = MAGA?
Staggering number of people affected by the blast
'Solidarity' From Around the World as Beirut Reels After Disaster Leaves 300,000 Displaced, 100 Dead, Over 4,000 Injured
50 percent of people there are unemployed and its economy is a disaster. And of course we are making things worse for Lebanon on Israel's behalf. Funny though when congress voted to send weapons to Lebanon and Trump disobeyed them he wasn't impeached for it. Why? Bibi the NUT ordered it. "Yas sir masta you tell us to jump we'll ask how far" Stopping here cuz I am not fond of Israel.
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
i hadn't known that
congress had voted to send weapons to lebanon. yes to 'jump, how high, bibi'. but luckily there are jewish voices for peace even within zionist israel. jonatan cook always says one day they'll outnumber the others, but: when, jonathan?
this bloke said it right, yes?
and r. magnier had tweeted:
'#Iraq will send 100,000 b of crude oil every month to #Lebanon for free as a support to the country in need.
I'm sorry, I'm confused; what happened here?
This article was written...oddly; was it copied from an ESL source?
In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.
Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!
please read the title
and the source; it will enlighten you.
Oh, okay. "Tweets."
Baal Almighty, I hate Twitter.
I always kind of wondered how Prince Belphegor could both be a patron of invention and the Lord of Sloth; now Twitter, His unholy masterpiece, makes it clear, for with it even veteran journalists are seduced down the primrose path of convenience.
In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.
Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!
Thank you for this
So many people view Lebanon through Israel/Hezbollah eyes. It is nice when someone doesn't.
My son called me to ask if I was watching the news. I wasn't. He told me a big explosion had happened in Beirut. So I quickly went to various feeds and it was obvious this was just a port screw up. Needless to say, most Western media had to put it into a Israel/Hezbollah context. That is the only way they know Lebanon (or the Middle East in general).
Disinformation in the information
Tell that to Texas City.
If nobody notices an impending explosion until it's too late, it doesn't matter if there was "time to evacuate" - the time has been wasted.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
thanks for the additional comments & corrections.
i got some sleep last night and when i woke up the emotional impact hit me hard. the first thing i'd seen is that there must be glass shards absolutely everywhere. the next was that given the enormity of the blast that could be heard as far away from cyprus, how many people on the ground not only can't breathe properly, but can't hear properly, either.
impossible not to imagine the terror, the cries and wails of the babbies, the wounded, those grieving for the missing, and for those who have already crossed to the great beyond.
next was trying to imagine that even with all the good will in the world, the funds, deliveries of building materials, volunteers, imagine the logistics of providing shelter for 300,000 homeless. including: sanitary facilities, even rudimentary kitchens with food and safe drinking water...
i have a few morning additions, beginning with:
an hour ago from Elijah J. Magnier @ejmalrai
I have all the necessary facts and details now. I'll write the full story on how the #BeirutExplosion took place and what were the favourable circumstances for the blast to occur. No conspiracy theory included so don't expect me to join in. You'll be very disappointed.
The official death toll reached 137. Security Sources said it would reach above 175-200 as there are dozens missing. Wounded over 5000 and homeless over 300,000.
Lebanese News and Updates @UpdatesLebanese
3m
MOH Hassan: A number of Arab and European embassies and health ministries have contacted us and extended a helping hand to Lebanon; since yesterday, aircraft carrying aid have started arriving, and coordination is taking place between the Health Ministry and the Lebanese army.
- The Russians brought in a lab to help in COVID-19 testing, after the ministry of health faced issues due to the huge burden on the health sector. - Health Minister: The speedy intervention of the Russian team and the setting up of the field hospital is good and it's ready to receive the sick and wounded.
- Macron when asked did you discuss your actions here with the USA, he said: "It is the USA that talks to us about what happens in Lebanon".
Macron: I spoke frankly and transparently with the three presidents regarding the need to fight corruption, implement reforms, conduct a transparent investigation into what is happening in the banking system, and continue dialogue with the IMF. - Macron from Baabda: I noted the anger that is present on the streets of Lebanon. - Macron: Strong political measures needed to fight against corruption and lead to reforms for Lebanon. He says his visit is not only related to the explosion, but has a political background.
RT.com has a (poorly written, imo) report on the damning & malignant history of the 'arrested' ship, but it includes:
“In a grotesque twist, someone reportedly decided to store fireworks next to the combustible cache. The unofficial story goes that it took a welding job on the warehouse's door to set them alight, which in turn triggered the massive explosion of ammonium nitrate, with varying estimates putting it as equivalent to one or several kilotons of TNT.”
george galloway's initial impressions:
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=363&v=vVwnm460X7M&feature=em...
a bit more news and disinformation:
elijah's not up with his promised thread yet at his home site, and yes, his first language seems to be french; he often notes proofreaders and translation help.
@irreductible_Em 8h
France has sent planes, rescuers, medical equipment and a mobile clinic to Beirut yesterday. Not to play the chiché card of the French/English comparison but.. What is England/the UK doing to support?
@MuneerEsraa
Palestinian volunteers from the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon take part in the rescue operations in Beirut After the big explosion, which killed a hundred people and left many under the rubble.
@jenanmoussa
2m
The Hungarian government to send one million euros in humanitarian aid to Lebanon to help victims of a deadly blast in #Beirut
the Lebanese Red Cross on Twitter
there's a bloke out there on the #Beirut account claiming Pakistani origin who seems to have fairly poorly photoshopped a missile hitting the wharf buildings and names Israel as the culprit.
for posterity on a deadish thread:
elijah's up with this at his home website:
i haven't read it yet, but look forward to it.