President Donald Trump will join world leaders, including seniors from Lebanon, as the United States shares a global effort to help the survivors of a deadly blast that shook the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday.
Trump will attend a conference call on Sunday, led by France and the United Nations, to raise aid and funds in the aftermath of the colossal explosion that killed more than 150 people and injured at least 5,000, many of them are now homeless.
“We will hold a conference call on Sunday with President Macron, leaders of Lebanon, and leaders from various other parts of the world. Everyone wants to help!” Trump tweeted Friday.
Later on Friday, at a news conference at his golf club in New Jersey, Trump called the massive explosion a “terrible event” and said he had spoken to Lebanese President Michel Aoun, informing that three U.S. planes were en route to the Middle Eastern country to deliver supplies and personnel.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said on Friday that the US had pledged more than $ 17 million in disaster relief to Lebanon.
The massive explosion in the Lebanese capital’s seaport on Tuesday left at least 250,000 people homeless, according to the UN, and devastated large swathes of the city as volunteers are still working to recover bodies from the rubble. overwhelming detection attempts get underway.
Many residents see the disaster as symptomatic of the general state of uplift on which the country has slipped, in recent months.
Some turned to President Macron – Lebanon was a former French colonial protectorate – in the aftermath of the explosion. He was elevated Thursday afternoon when he visited Beirut.
Macron called for an international inquiry into the blast, telling citizens, still away from the blast, that no white checks would be given to Lebanese leaders unless they implement reform and end corruption at the end.
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The exact cause of the explosion is still being investigated.
The Lebanese Prime Minister has said that 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, which is used in the manufacture of fertilizers and bombs, were stored without security measures at a port warehouse for six years.
President Aoun said on Friday that an investigation will investigate whether the trigger was caused by a bomb or other external interference.
“The cause has not yet been determined. There is a possibility of external interference via a rocket or bomb as another act,” Aoun told Lebanese media.
He also said the investigation would weigh in if the explosion was due to negligence or an accident.
Earlier this week, President Trump said the blast was seen as “a horrific attack”, although he did not provide any evidence to support his remarks and later said the conclusion was based on the suspicions of U.S. generals.
To date, nineteen people, including port officials, have been detained by Lebanese authorities in connection with the blast.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Saturday that he would try to mobilize Arab efforts to provide support to Lebanon, while Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said his country was ready to build the port. during a visit to Beirut on Saturday.
The disaster struck when Lebanon was in the midst of a spiraling economic crisis.
Officials have said the blast losses could increase to billions of dollars, a bill that Lebanon could struggle to pay.
The blast also destroyed Lebanon’s only large-scale silo storage facility, as UN agencies said they would provide emergency supplies to a country that also hosts millions of refugees from neighboring states.
While Beirut mourns his deaths, grief gave rise to anger Thursday night as protests erupted around parliament. Further protests are planned for Saturday afternoon, by people angry at the government’s response to the disaster.
On Saturday, the Dutch Foreign Minister also said the wife of the Dutch ambassador to Lebanon had died after being seriously injured in the explosion. Earlier this week, the German Foreign Office also confirmed that a staff member of the German embassy had died after the explosion.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Mustafa Kassem contributed.
