THE Association for Community and Dialogue (ACID) is deeply saddened by two explosions in the port city of Beirut on August 4. The powerful blast resulted in at least 158 deaths and 6,000 injuries, US$10-15 billion in property damage and 300,000 people made homeless.

Our prayers and solidarity are with the Lebanese people who have suffered a lot over the years due to war and instability in governance and, currently, having to put up with the twin disasters of the explosion and the Covid-19 pandemic that has put their health system under severe stress.

The blast has been linked to 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in the port without safety measures for the past six years.

The facts of case clearly reveal the fault lines of political elites who have governed Lebanon for years and been negligent in their duties to protect its citizens, who have been vulnerable to war and suicide attacks over the years. Removing such dangerous stockpiles should have been a priority of successive governments.

What transpired in Lebanon reveals a nation undergoing a spiritual-moral crisis of failing to act to protect its vulnerable citizens. 

Hegemonic ambitions of the US and Zionist conspiracy in this nation, with the connivance of Saudi Arabia, and Iran and Syria on the other side, has placed Lebanon in a precarious situation, besides having an incompetent and corrupted governing elite, making Lebanon a weak nation that is unable to act to protect its national security and economic well-being. A confluence of hostile forces surrounds this nation, which is detrimental to its national well-being.

Therefore, the ACID urges the Lebanese authorities to allow an international probe to determine the real cause of the blast so that an independent report on the succession of events that led to the current crisis can be detailed. The Lebanese people deserve justice and the perpetrators of crime, whether in form of negligence or terrorism, should be punished. It’s time Lebanon regains its sovereignty and not fail to act to protect its country. The external eagles should leave Lebanon. – August 9, 2020.

* Ronald Benjamin is Association for Community and Dialogue secretary.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.