WORLD AT WAR: 8.8.20 - "Mushroom Cloud" Explosion In Beirut

Did The "Mushroom Cloud" Explosion In Beirut Just Push The Middle East Closer To A Major War? - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/did-the-mushroom-cloud-explosion-in-beirut-just-push-the-middle-east-closer-to-a-major-war 2020 just keeps getting weirder. On Tuesday, an absolutely massive explosion caused a red mushroom cloud to rise high over the city of Beirut, Lebanon. It is being called"Beirut's Hiroshima", and the blast was heard as far away as Cyprus. You can watch a two minute compilation that contains video clips of the explosion from several different angles right here. It appears that the shockwave did even more damage than the initialexplosion did, and at this hour a large portion of the city of Beirut lies in ruins. Dozens are dead, thousands are injured, and the entire city is now in a state of complete chaos... Two enormous explosions devastated Beirut's port on Tuesday, leaving at least 73 people dead and thousands injured, shaking distant buildings and spreading panic and chaosacross the Lebanese capital. The second blast sent an enormous orange fireball into the sky, flattened the harbourside and drove a tornado-like shockwave through the city, shattering windows kilometres(miles) away. It is being reported that Beirut's port "is totally destroyed", and this comes at a really bad time because Lebanon is already in the midst of an epic economic collapse. In recent months, we have become accustomed to hearing about "mystery explosions" all over the Middle East, and many believe that those mystery explosions indicate thatthe region is on the brink of a full-blown war. But this incident was different. A large section of the capital of Lebanon has been flattened, and many eyewitnesses are comparing the blast to a nuclear explosion. Hereis one example... "It was like an atomic bomb," said Makrouhie Yerganian, a retired schoolteacher in her mid-70s who has lived near the port for decades. "I've experienced everything, but nothing like this before," even during the country's 1975-1990 civil war, she said. "All the buildings around here have collapsed." And even Beirut Governor Marwan Aboud brought up "Hiroshima" and "Nagasaki" when asked about the explosion... "This reminds me of what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki," said Beirut Governor Marwan Aboud. "I have never seen such widespread destruction. This is a national catastrophe.This is a disaster for Lebanon. We're already living through days where we can barely keep going." "And now this...I don't know how we're going to recover from this," Aboud told Sky News, before bursting into tears. Immediately after this happened, a lot of people began wondering if this was an Israeli attack, but that does not appear to be the case. One unnamed Israeli government official told AFP that "Israel had nothing to do with the incident", and Benny Gantz has actually offered to send humanitarian aid to Beirut... Offers of aid also came from bitter rivals Israel, with which it is still technically at war. Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, on behalfof the State of Israel, have offered the Lebanese government - via international intermediaries - medical and humanitarian aid, as well as immediate emergency assistance,' said a joint statement from the two ministries. If Israel really had been behind this attack, I seriously doubt that they would be offering to patch up their enemies. And this isn't Israel's style either. The Israelis prefer surgical strikes that avoid civilian casualties as much as possible, and this explosion definitely does not fitthat profile. Instead, it appears that this was some sort of deeply tragic accident. Lebanese officials have admitted that 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate were stored in the unit thatexploded, and that amount of ammonium nitrate can definitely produce the sort of explosion that we just witnessed... Lebanon's interior minister said ammonium nitrate had been stored in the unit since 2014, with experts agreeing that the chemical would cause the red plume of smoke whichburst up from the blast. Local media are reporting that 2,700 tonnes of the chemical exploded, which scientists making initial calculations said was about three kilotonnes of TNT - roughly a fifthof the Little Boy atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in the Second World War. But Donald Trump is apparently not buying that explanation. He told the press that the explosion "was an attack" and that it was caused by "a bomb of some kind"... At least 60 people were killed and thousands were wounded in an explosion that caused widespread damage in the Lebanese capital. Trump said he had been briefed by "our greatgenerals" and that they "seem to feel" that the explosion was not an accident. "According to them - they would know better than I would - but they seem to think it was an attack," Trump told reporters at the White House. "It was a bomb of some kind." If this really was an attack, the Lebanese are going to want revenge, because a substantial portion of their capital city has been absolutely decimated. And needless to say, there are already voices all over the Middle East that are eagerly pointing a finger of blame at Israel and are calling for war. But unlike the "mystery explosions" that have been happening in Iran, the evidence does not indicate that Israel had anything to do with this great tragedy. Unfortunately, a lot of people out there are going to jump to their own conclusions, and many of those that hate Israel will use this as another justification to call forarmed conflict. Over the past couple of years, there have been so many moments when it seemed like a major war could break out at any time in the Middle East. And here in 2020, tensionsare running higher than ever. The IDF has been regularly hitting Iranian and Hezbollah targets all over the region, and we just witnessed a harrowing confrontation on the Syrian border. It appears that it is just a matter of time before a huge war erupts in the Middle East, and it certainly isn't going to take much to trigger one. So could this explosion push the region over the edge? Let us hope not, but without a doubt this blast is not going to help matters. The devastation that we just witnessed has caused great pain and anger in Lebanon, and terror groups such as Hezbollah will inevitably try to channel all of that pain andanger in a way that furthers their ultimate goals. Like Haman: Hezbollah Chief Suffers From Evil Decree He Made Against Israel - by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - www.breakingisraelnews.com "So they impaled Haman on the stake which he had put up for Mordechai, and the king's fury abated." Esther 7:10 (The Israel BibleTM) On Tuesday afternoon, two huge explosions ripped through the port of Beirut at 6:07 local time, killing hundreds and wounding thousands more. As of Wednesday morning, theRed Cross reported the death toll to be at least 100 dead with fears that it could go much higher. At least 4,000 people were injured. The explosion generated an enormous shock wave that was actually visible in the videos. Buildings as far away as 6 milesfrom the source of the explosion were damaged. Streets were filled with shattered glass. Some people noted the irony of the catastrophe, referring to a threat by Hasan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, in 2016 to rain down rockets on the ammonia stored at theport in Haifa. "Its simple mathematics," Nasrallah said at the time. "A few missiles on a few ammonium plants equals the same amount of death as an atomic bomb...you can destroy Lebanonand Dahiyeh. You have the strongest airforce, you have missiles, and you have other means by which to do it. But we can do the same thing to you (Israel) with only a few missiles aimed at a few ammonium plants." Nasrallah emphasized that his hope was to kill the 800,000 people who live in Haifa. Hezbollah, literally "Party of Allah" or "Party of God" is a Shia Islamist terrorist group that has more than one-third of the seats in the Lebanese parliament, giving themveto power. Hezbollah is dedicated to the submission of the Christian Phalangists and is anti-Israel. Its paramilitary wing is considered more powerful than the Lebanese Army and fought a war against Israel in 2006. Hezbollah is estimated to have up to 150,000rockets with their primary intended target being Israel. Though Israel and Hezbollah both denied that Israel had anything to do with the explosion, speculation was inevitable. Iran suffered a wave of inexplicable explosions thismonth targeting military and nuclear sites. Israel has admitted to carrying out hundreds of airstrikes north of its border in an effort to prevent Iranian military dominance ion the region. There is no question Israel has the ability to carry out such a mission,whether by warplane or drone, from a naval platform, or even ground-launched ballistic missiles. Israel could have even carried out covert sabotage. But the only reason for carrying out such a strike is also the disincentive: Hezbollah's missiles. Unless the explosion was caused by a massive storehouse of weapons, Israelwould not want to provoke an attack that would undoubtedly target its civilians, even one it could successfully retaliate against. The explosion in Beirut raises the religious issue of whether or not to celebrate tragedies that befall an enemy. Rabbi Shlomo Katz teaches at Yeshiva Simchat Shlomo namedafter his spiritual mentor, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. He noted that the explosion in Beirut came in precisely the manner Nasrallah threatened would befall Israel. "This is reminiscent of the way in which Haman's plans against the Jews were precisely the manner of his downfall," Rabbi Katz said. "So they impaled Haman on the stake which he had put up for Mordechai, and the king's fury abated." (Esther 7:10) "But when we see a thing like this happen, we realize that we will never really know what the average person in Lebanon feels. They are governed by terrorists who cannotbe voted out or overthrown. So we need to mourn the death of every innocent person. Always." "But we should be happy that this did not happen as Nasrallah planned. But at the same time, we should take the opportunity to pray for understanding and the revelationof God in this world. I am never sure what it means, 'measure for measure'. Do we really want to bring into the world what Haman intended, what Nasrallah intended?" Rabbi Katz noted the verse in Proverbs. If your enemy falls, do not exult; If he trips, let your heart not rejoice, Lest Hashem see it and be displeased, And avert His wrath from him. Proverbs 24:17-18 Rabbi Katz noted that the explosion took place on the eve of the 15th of Av, a day that is the Jewish festival of dubbed "a holiday of love." It follows Tisha B'Av, the9th day of Av, which is a somber day commemorating the destruction of the Jewish Temples. "The Temple was destroyed because of causeless hatred so its Tikkun (fixing) is the holiday of love that follows," Rabbi Katz said. "We should always be moving to replacethe anger and hatred of our enemies with a love for serving God." "If the energy is that we are happy that our enemies fall when we still have so much causeless hatred among ourselves, then that is not really a Tikkun." Rabbi Katz noted that King David was a fierce warrior and Jews are commanded to go to war in order to preserve Israel. He related a story about his mentor, Rabbi ShlomoCarlebach, top illustrate a specifically Jewish approach to war. Rabbi Carlebach, known as the 'singing rabbi', attracted many hippies and people who rejected or were rejected by mainstream religion. Rabbi Katz related how Rabbi Carlebach went to visit the Suez Canal at a time when there was constant shooting between the IDF and the Egyptian army. Rabbi Carlebach, knownas Reb Shlomo to his followers was deeply impressed by what he saw. "The difference between an Egyptian soldier and a Jewish soldier is this," Reb Shlomo said. "When an Egyptian soldier shoots, he prays that the bullet hits its target. Butwhen a Jewish soldier shoots, he prays that the Messiah will come before the bullet arrives." Lebanon, Hezbollah & Israel All Prepare For Post Explosion Ramifications - Yaakov Lappin/JNS.ORG - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=4211 A day after an enormous blast ripped through Beirut, causing untold destruction, it's still not possible to grasp the true scope of the calamity, a former Israeli MilitaryIntelligence chief has said. Speaking by video conference to journalists, Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, who served as former deputy commander of the Israeli Air Force and is now executive director ofthe Institute for National Security Studies, noted that Israel has offered medical assistance to Lebanon. "This is a terrible, terrible disaster. The big question is how many people are missing. The numbers are between 1,000 to 4,000." Analyzing the incidents that led to the explosion, Yadlin said it "started from a small explosion at what looks like a fireworks storage facility. And then the big explosioncame," he said, citing the 2,700 tons of reported ammonium nitrate stored at a warehouse at the port's dock. Ammonium nitrate "is material used to develop explosives," he said. "It is also good for agriculture, but the fact that it was there since 2014 is saying that it was nottaken for agriculture. The purpose of this storage was for explosives." Regarding the question of who owned the warehouse and why the material was there, Yadlin said "this is something I guess that the Lebanese authorities are investigating." He added that it cannot be proven at this stage that it was a Hezbollah warehouse. If, however, signs emerge that this is indeed the case, it would form a "very seriousallegation against Hezbollah," which could turn into significant political pressure on it to end its role as a military power in Lebanon and delegate that role to the official Lebanese military, he assessed. Ammonium nitrate has been used before by Hezbollah operatives abroad in planning out a terror attack. In 2015, a Lebanese-Canadian man tied to Hezbollah was convicted inCyprus after he was found in possession of 8.5 tons of ammonium nitrate in his basement. That same year, the Mossad told authorities in the U.K. of four properties in North West London that contained three tons of ammonium nitrate belonging to Hezbollah. Earlierthis year, the Mossad again tipped off Germany on Hezbollah's activities on its soil, including warehouses in the south of the country where Hezbollah stashed hundreds of kilograms of ammonium nitrate. "This is another blow to the Lebanese state that was already [suffering] a huge crisis," said Yadlin. The factors that created this crisis included severe economic, financial,political and social problems. Even prior to the blast, tensions were rising in the country. In that context, he explained, "what is important is that Hezbollah is using civilian neighborhoods to storeweapons. They use civilian neighborhoods as shields for their activity. There are elements in Lebanon and the international community calling on Hezbollah to stop hiding behind the excuse that it needs these weapons against Israel." Nuclear capability and hegemony in the Middle East Yadlin pointed out that Israel hasn't attacked Lebanon in 14 years, and that the two countries have "no real dispute" over borders. Even a disagreement over offshore gas-drillingrights in the Mediterranean Sea "was already brokered by the Americans." Hezbollah, he said, is looking for excuses to keep the conflict going with Israel. "This is a very good time for Lebanese to tell Hezbollah: 'We have so many other problems,give us a break from your excuses for Iranian interests that running behind you.' The issue starts with Iran sending advanced weapons to Hezbollah via Syria." More broadly, the Iranian terror axis of which Hezbollah is part of is under great pressure, said Yadlin. Factors like America's "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran--addedto economic dysfunction, collapsing oil prices, Israel's campaign to roll back Iranian military entrenchment in Syria, the coronavirus pandemic, the recent assassination of Quds Force Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani--have all contributed to growing discontent amongthe general populace. "The Iranians are continuing, despite all of the difficulties, with two strategic efforts: come as close as possible to nuclear capability and to have hegemony in the MiddleEast," stated Yadlin. So far, Iran has failed operationally to deter Israel, and Syria is focused on what remains of its civil war in Idlib, so Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah decided to stepup and attempt to "revenge any Israeli activities in Syria if Hezbollah terrorists will be killed as well. This is what happened last week, and Nasrallah decided to act," he summed up. Nasrallah attempted to calibrate his actions so that they would on the one hand kill a few Israeli soldiers, but on the other avoid all-out war. "Very much like his Iranianmasters, he failed operationally," said Yadlin. Now, in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion, Nasrallah has found his excuse to "remove this issue from the agenda, especially if this warehouse was a Hezbollah warehouse,"he said. "And there are already a lot of voices in Lebanon that blame Hezbollah for the financial difficulties. There are new sanctions on Lebanon because of Hezbollah. The banking system is collapsing because of Hezbollah. Every Lebanese knows that Hezbollah is the strongest militarypower in Lebanon with a lot of political influence." With all of these multiple crises in Lebanon, joined by the latest disaster in Beirut, some Lebanese civilians will likely be thinking "why do they need another dimensionof destruction that will come from Nasrallah attacking Israel? So I think he will find a ladder to come down from the tree," said Yadlin. Asked whether the Beirut disaster will set the stage for the International Monetary Fund to provide major assistance to Lebanon, Yadlin said that remains unclear. "It couldon the one hand say, 'Let's put aside everything and help Lebanon.' On the other hand ... the blast may help those who say Hezbollah is the problem, and that this was a Hezbollah warehouse. The IMF could say 'until you move Hezbollah awayfrom its positions that they took in Lebanon, we are not helping you despite the disaster.' " Fatah, PLO are planning for a third intifada - PMW - Donna Rachel - https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/fatah-plo-are-planning-for-a-third-intifada-pmw-637825 A third intifada is being planned by Fatah, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and other Palestinian groups, PLO Executive Committee member Wasel Abu Yusuf confirmedfollowing a meeting of group members last week, according to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW). The confirmation follows previous statements in which Palestinian leaders have warned that Israel's plans to claim sovereignty over parts of the West Bank would lead toa "popular uprising" against Israel by the Palestinian population. According to the host of 'Topic of the Day,' broadcast on official PA TV on July 28, 2020, as translated by PMW, "The statement issued after the [PLO - Fatah] meeting, spokeabout 'developing and implementing coordination on the ground between all the political forces, popular committees, institutions, and activists of the resistance, and working to establish a united national front for popular resistance resulting in a comprehensiveintifada.'" Yusuf agreed that this was so, explaining: "We cannot agree to [Israel] establishing facts on the ground. We will not accept harming the Palestinian people's rights." The host then clarified: "A comprehensive intifada as part of the non-violent popular uprising?" adding "Peaceful. A non-violent intifada?" Yusuf replied: "No. Of course [it will be] a comprehensive intifada, a national rebellion, and everything connected to ending this criminal occupation, which is implementingall its crimes and aggression against the Palestinian people. This is something necessary, and actually this is all being developed." Yusuf went on to justify a third intifada on the grounds that the first intifada in 1987-1993, which claimed the lives of approximately 200 Israelis, and the second in 2000-2005in which more than 1,100 Israelis were killed, had both been successful in bringing the Palestinian cause to the international stage. Those uprisings "achieved a lot for the Palestinian cause, and everyone thought that the Palestinian cause was diminishing, but it always was in the international community'spriorities. Therefore, the Palestinian cause is the basis in this matter," Yusuf said. Highlighting international calls for dialogue and negotiation as the path to resolving the conflict, the host of the program asked Yusuf whether the international communitywould accept a new Palestinian intifada within the next two years. "Of course," Yusuf replied. "When we talk about intifada we are talking about the way to escalate the situation." Yusuf's comments follow previous statements by Palestinian leaders in which they indicated that they were not calling outright for an intifada, but would not prevent a popularuprising by the Palestinian people. The Palestinian Authorities regularly broadcast music and videos inciting violence against Israel to the Palestinian population. "We're not calling for a third intifada," a senior PA official told The Jerusalem Post in mid-June. "We are just warning that Israel's actions and measures could lead toa new intifada and destabilize security in the region." The official said that the policy of the PA and the ruling Fatah faction was to encourage a "peaceful and popular resistance" in the West Bank, while discouraging "armedattacks that would play into the hands of the Israeli government and the Israeli right-wing parties." Although the PA has suspended security coordination with Israel, the official noted, "we remain opposed to armed attacks because they would cause huge damage to the Palestinianissue." However, the term "peaceful, popular uprising" has been used by PA leaders in the past to refer to violent attacks on Israeli citizens. In November 2015, Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas referred to the Knife Intifada of 2015-16, which at that point had claimed 14 lives with a further 167 wounded, as a "peaceful popular uprising." Explaining in a statement broadcast on official PA TV why he had not condemned the attacks despite telling the international community that he is against terror, Abbas said:"We said to everyone that we want peaceful popular uprising, and that's what this is. That's what this is."