Trump claims US generals feel Beirut blast was likely an ‘attack’
- Trump cast massive explosion in Beirut as a possible attack
- Lebanese leaders say it was likely caused by stored explosive materials
Trump was asked why he called it an attack and not an accident, especially since Lebanese officials say they have not determined the cause of the explosion. He told reporters at the White House: “It would seem like it based on the explosion. I met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that it was. This was not a – some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of a event. … They seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind, yes.”
Trump offered condolences to the victims and said the United States stood ready to assist Lebanon. “It looks like a terrible attack,” he said.
Asked about Trump’s remarks, a Pentagon spokesman told AFP: “we don’t have anything for you” and “you will have to reach out to the White House for clarification”.
The explosion flattened much of a port and damaged buildings across the capital, sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. In addition to those who died, more than 3,000 other people were injured, with bodies buried in the rubble, officials said.
