Iranian, Lebanese Experts On Iranian TV: We Cannot Rule Out The Possibility That The Beirut Explosion Was A Deliberate Act; Israel, America Stand To Gain From This | MEMRI

On August 5, 2020, Channel 2 (Iran) aired a discussion about the same-day explosion that took place in the Port of Beirut. Iranian regional affairs expert Hossein Akbari said that America, Israel, and their allies benefit from Lebanon being in a state of chaos. He said that the best-case scenario is that the explosion was a result of negligence, and that in the worst-case scenario, it was a deliberate act. Lebanese analyst Muhammad Shamas said that the possibility of sabotage cannot be ruled out, and that statements by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu seem to suggest the involvement of the U.S. or Israel. He also said that there have been reports that planes had been seen in the area of the explosion not long before it took place, and that American planes had been seen off the coasts of Lebanon and Syria.