Massive explosion in Beiruit today

[RoyGBiv]

Here is the best video so far supporting the theory of an air attack. The sound of supersonic plane/missile is can be clearly heart few seconds before the explosion. This is the first attack, resulting in the first small explosion of the ammo depot. There is another video that may show the second attack wave.
Most likely the couple taking video did not make it, but I am not certain.
https://www.facebook.com/hamzah.fakih/p ... 9504919180

I didn't hear any aircraft. The video starts with the building already on fire. The fire grows and a smaller explosion happens from inside the building. I heard air drafting, but no aircraft or bomb. But, I could be wrong, of course. Not long after the first explosion, the second bigger explosion. Again, nothing that sounded like an aircraft.

@Beiruty ... Very glad to hear that your family is mostly ok. I was thinking about you most of the day yesterday and was glad to read your posts here. Best wishes to the Lebanese working to recover from this disaster.

[mrvmax]

All I can say is if it was ammonium nitrate something had to initiate the explosion. I’ve witnessed 15000 pound BLU-82’s dropped, B52 bombing, conventional ALCM, thousands of pounds of comp b, C4, TNT and dynamite blow and I do not ever recall seeing a shock wave move that fast.

[RoyGBiv]

All I can say is if it was ammonium nitrate something had to initiate the explosion. I’ve witnessed 15000 pound BLU-82’s dropped, B52 bombing, conventional ALCM, thousands of pounds of comp b, C4, TNT and dynamite blow and I do not ever recall seeing a shock wave move that fast.

The quote I read was 2750 TONS. 2.75 Kilotons.
Over 6 million pounds of Ammonium Nitrate. >400 of those BLU-82's going off all at once.

[Rafe]

All I can say is if it was ammonium nitrate something had to initiate the explosion. I’ve witnessed 15000 pound BLU-82’s dropped, B52 bombing, conventional ALCM, thousands of pounds of comp b, C4, TNT and dynamite blow and I do not ever recall seeing a shock wave move that fast.

Every single angle I've seen video of, you can almost feel some of the overpressure just watching it. I don't think I've seen footage of a MOAB going off except from a very distant viewpoint and in an area where there isn't much in the way of buildings or features to help illustrate the force but, yeah, this was a Big Explosion. Which stands to reason if what detonated was around 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate. I mean, that's 99,790 25-kilo bags of the stuff. That's like 1,000 times the amount used in the Oklahoma City bombing. But you just don't drop a match onto a pile of NH4NO3 and have it blow up. If it wasn't planned and intentional, it sure as heck wasn't accidental. Like shooting yourself while cleaning a gun, it's flat-out negligence; nothing accidental about it. But if 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate had just been sitting there, in storage in the port area right there in the city, that would sure be a target of opportunity for a Bad Actor.

As more and more videos of the aftermath come in...just staggering.

[philip964]

So no one thought twice about storing that much ammonium nitrate in one spot with a bunch of other munitions and in a highly populated area.

They must not watch much US news.

[philip964]

That spot is quite aways away.

[mrvmax]

All I can say is if it was ammonium nitrate something had to initiate the explosion. I’ve witnessed 15000 pound BLU-82’s dropped, B52 bombing, conventional ALCM, thousands of pounds of comp b, C4, TNT and dynamite blow and I do not ever recall seeing a shock wave move that fast.

The quote I read was 2750 TONS. 2.75 Kilotons.
Over 6 million pounds of Ammonium Nitrate. >400 of those BLU-82's going off all at once.

What I’m saying is that I don’t believe it was just plain ammonium nitrate. If it was what initiated it? Just fire alone shouldn’t. Was it a bomb building factory? Munitions storage? The ammonium nitrate story doesn’t sound right. I’ve been wrong once or twice before but I don’t think we have a correct story of the cause.

[crazy2medic]

I know Ammonium Nitrate over time becomes unstable, I read about a plant in Germany that processed Ammonium Nitrate, the plant employees would go out and use a blasting cap to blow off a piece then carry it into that factory for processing, they had done this for YEARS! One day when Temprature and humidity were just right an employee stuck a blasting cap in a huge pile to get a chunk for processing and this time the whole pile went high order and wiped out the plant and numerous building in the area!

[mrvmax]

Well I just read their explanation, I suppose it it had been stored for 7 years there could have been some break down in the composition adding to instability.

[Beiruty]

Here is a Lebanese video fx and motion graphics expert stating there is an object flying into the location of the explosion. He stated he can judge the video is not edited but authentic video.

I do not know who is the person, nor his qualification.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TJqffgvqhSK38YCKA

[The Annoyed Man]

The Twisted Sifter website has a composite video showing the explosion from 9 different angles, all synced up together: https://twistedsifter.com/2020/08/beiru ... -the-city/.

[philip964]

Brides photo shoot interrupted.

[Beiruty]

Here is a Lebanese video fx and motion graphics expert stating there is an object flying into the location of the explosion. He stated he can judge the video is not edited but authentic video.

Sounds like someone looking for an excuse to blame the event on "outside forces".

It reminds me of all the 9/11 naysayers, telling me that the buildings were blown up by the CIA or some such rubbish, when we could plainly see planes hitting the buildings. In this Beirut case, we could plainly see a ton of fireworks going off in the building for many seconds before the explosion - but they couldn't possibly have anything to do with the events following on, right?

Edit: Nothing against Andy

There were tons of ammunition and explosive material in warehouse 12, most likely belonging to Hizbullah. The "fireworks" are small arms ammo detonaiting.
Questions:
1) Who started the fire? Why? and How?
2) Was there an airstrike, or not?
3) Was the warehouse 12 under attack covertly?
4) Was the attack a sabotage or a special Op?
5) Why the explosives and ammo were in Warehouse 12?
6) Who is the true owner of said explosives?
7) Who allowed the storage and why?
8) Why the explosives were stored there since 2014?
9) Why the explosives were not disposed of properly as per protocol

And tons of other questions.

So far, it is all speculations and no one is blaming other factors.
We need to find the truth and those responsible for the catastrophe are brought to justice.