(Al Arabiya) Mona Alami - Two sources told Al Arabiya that the ammonium nitrate at Beirut port was being slowly siphoned off by Hizbullah for military purposes. A source close to Hizbullah commanders specified that the product was being used for missile and rocket warheads, which were sent by Iran to Lebanon and assembled locally in the Hermel Region by Hizbullah. According to former CIA officer Robert Baer, accidents involving ammonium nitrate are rare, as the ingredient in its pure form is generally quite stable. "There's never been an incident of ammonium nitrate stored in the open spontaneously detonating. It will burn vigorously but not detonate." It would take an extraordinary set of circumstances to cork it off, added Baer. Weapons stored in the vicinity of the ammonium nitrate could explain the explosion, he said, as it would have acted as a booster to the blast.
2020-08-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive