Shalom and good evening, this is TV7 Israel
News broadcast to you from Jerusalem;
And in today’s top stories;
Despite the devastating blast in Beirut; the
Israeli maintains a heightened state of alert
along Israel’s northern front with Lebanon
for fear of an attack by Hezbollah.
The United States prepares to force the international
community to extend a U.N. arms embargo on
the Islamic Republic of Iran – the number
one recorded state sponsor of terror.
The Municipal building in Tel Aviv lit up
with the Lebanese flag as a show of solidarity
with the Residents of Beirut.
The Israeli military maintains a high state
of alert along the country’s northern border
with both Lebanon and Syria; since it is presently
unclear whether Hezbollah remains adamant
to perpetrate an attack the Jewish State.
There are currently two school of thought
regarding Hezbollah’s intentions vis-à-vis
Israel in the aftermath of the deadly blast
that devastated Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.
The first scenario assesses that Hezbollah
would abandon its intention to carry out an
attack against Israel, since it cannot withstand
the ramifications of a wide-scale military
conflagration in light of Lebanon’s domestic
challenges.
The second scenario, however, presents an
alarming assessment.
It assesses that consequential ramifications
of the devastating blast would stimulate Hezbollah
to try to distract public attention by drawing
Israel into war, which could shift domestic
anger from Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled’
government to Israel.
And while the IDF is maintaining its preparedness
to act against any threat directed at the
state of Israel; Jerusalem has extended its
condolences to the people of Lebanon and reiterated
its readiness to provide its northern neighbor
with humanitarian assistance.
"I extend in the name of the Israeli government
my condolences to the Lebanese people."
/ "A very great disaster occurred yesterday
in Lebanon.
We are ready to provide humanitarian assistance
to Lebanon, as human beings to human beings."
While the Lebanese government has not responded
to Jerusalem’s offers of assistance, Israel
has begun logistic preparations to provide
specific aid to Lebanon.
The Israeli proposals for assistance, including
a proposal to provide medical equipment, are
being advanced by the United Nations Interim
Force in Lebanon.
In addition to the U.N., Jerusalem also relayed
its messages to Beirut via representatives
of France and Cyprus.
Meanwhile in Tel Aviv;
The Municipal building lit up with the Lebanese
flag as a show of solidarity.
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai wrote on his Twitter
account (quote) “Humanity takes precedence
over every conflict, and our heart is with
the Lebanese people in the aftermath of the
terrible disaster that they’ve suffered.”
Residents of Tel Aviv reacted to their municipality’s
gesture in favor - also voicing hope that
Lebanon would accept Israel’s offers for
humanitarian assistance.
"It's a very kind thing to put this flag on
this building.
I like to watch it.
I think that the citizens seem to care about
the things that happens in the world and not
just here in Israel."
/ "What can we do than hope for the best you
know like I said earlier I really just hope
that they will accept this aid this support
from Israel."
Meanwhile in Beirut;
Residents of the city are distraught by the
repeated strife plaguing their country.
With the number of victims steadily rising
- including at least 135 casualties and more
than 5,000 wounded - the deadly blast is merely
the last in a long list of crises that relentlessly
impacts the people of Lebanon.
"What should I feel?
We in Lebanon, they wrote on Twitter that
in Lebanon we survive, we don't live.
Every other day we have something, it started
with the forest fires last year, and they
said aircrafts would exacerbate the fires
instead of distinguishing them, then the revolution
of October 17, then the economic crisis, COVID-19
and now this, we don't know if it's a warehouse
(explosion, referring to the port of Beirut
warehouse that exploded).
If it's a warehouse (that exploded) it's a
problem and if it's war or an attack, this
is also a problem.
You can't feel anything in Lebanon, there's
nothing to be sad about or to think about.
Our country is this way, we have to get used
to it."
While the horrendous blast prompted numerous
nations to respectively send humanitarian
assistance, including search and rescue delegations
to assist local efforts to deal with the crisis;
French President Emmanuel Macron personally
travelled to Lebanon in a declared show of
solidarity.
"First of all I've come, almost straight away,
to show a sign of support, of friendship,
of brotherly solidarity for the Lebanese people
after the explosion on August 4 in the port,
which affected the whole population and the
whole of Beirut.
Above all, I would say, that support and solidarity
is necessary because it's Lebanon, it's France,
and it was my duty to be here to show that
friendship."
President Emanuel Macron further pledged to
his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun that
France would spearhead European support for
Beirut, where Paris maintains strong cultural
and political influence.
Nevertheless, Macron also stressed the need
to bring about reform to a country plagued
by deep-routed corruption, in addition to
social and economic strife, since Lebanon
has struggled with its domestic woes long
before the dreadful explosion rocked the nation.
Meanwhile in London;
UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Dominic Raab announced London’s offer of
up to five million pounds in humanitarian
assistance to Beirut, after holding a phone
conversation with Lebanese Prime Minister
Hassan Diab.
The British top diplomat further emphasized
that while the wider challenges facing Lebanon
and the region have not gone away – focus
right now must be limited to the immediate
task of helping the people of Lebanon.
"The wider challenges facing Lebanon and the
region haven't gone away, we just focus right
now on the immediate task of helping the people
of Beirut and Lebanon come to terms and recover
from this devastating explosion.
Of course, we'll also be looking at ways in
which we can help with their medium-term challenges
on governance, on financial support, given
the situation."
Secretary Raab also noted that in his conversation
with Premier Diab, the latter emphasized his
determination to conduct a full, thorough
and rigorous investigation that will ultimately
unveil what has caused the dreadful explosion.
"He's been very clear with me that there will
be a full, thorough and rigorous investigation
to get to the truth.
I think the people of Lebanon deserve no less
and that there'll be full accountability,
subject, of course, to the results and the
outcome of that investigation.
I think it's too early to say at this point
with any reliability what the conclusions
will be."
The investigation of the cause is ongoing;
the devastating blast is known to have originated
from a warehouse in the port’s Hangar 12,
which stored approximately 2,750 tons of the
extremely hazardous ammonium nitrate; which
was seized from a Russian vessel in 2013 that
was travelling from a Ukrainian port to Africa.
While the origin of the blaze that triggered
the explosion remains obscure, the blast destroyed
Lebanon’s main grain-silos that stored some
eighty-five percent of the country’s grain.
Moreover, the explosion almost entirely razed
the water-front district, and caused extensive
damage to three hospitals and other infrastructure
at a roughly 1.5 kilometers radius.
Meanwhile in Washington;
U.S. President Donald Trump insisted that
while the presiding circulating assessment
alludes to negligence as the root cause of
the deadly explosion in Beirut – a random
blaze in a highly hazardous location seems
unlikely.
“I can tell you whatever it was, it was
terrible.
But they don’t really know what it was.
Nobody knows yet.
At this moment they are looking, I mean – how
can you say accident?
Somebody left some terrible explosive type
devices and things around, perhaps.
Perhaps it was that.
Perhaps it was an attack.
I don’t think anybody can say right now.
We are looking into it very strongly.”
Despite the growing Iranian influence over
the Lebanese government; President Trump asserted
that relations between Washington and Beirut
are “very good.”
Earlier at the American State Department;
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo highlighted
Washington’s readiness to assist the government
of Lebanon.
On behalf of the United States, I want to
extend our deepest condolences to all those
who were affected by the massive explosion
at the port of Beirut yesterday.
We stand ready to assist the Government of
Lebanon and its – as it grapples with this
horrible tragedy.
You’ll see the United States announce a
number of things we intend to do to assist
the people of Lebanon in the coming days.
Secretary Pompeo also reiterate Washington’s
resolve to extend a U.N. arms embargo on the
Islamic Republic of Iran – which continues
to stand-out as the number one state sponsor
of terror.
To avert a reality in which the Islamic Revolutionary
Guards would transport legally weapons to
organizations such a Hezbollah; Washington
proactively seeks to extend the embargo, which
is set to expire in October.
"Next week, the United States will put forward
a resolution in the (UN) Security Council
to extend the arms embargo on Iran.
The Security Council's mission is to maintain
international peace and security.
The council would make an absolute mockery
of that mission if it allowed the number one
state sponsor of terrorism to buy and sell
weapons freely.”
The top American diplomat further warned that
if the U.N. Security Council fails to act
on this matter, in spite of the fact that
the U.S.-drafted Resolution is “eminently
reasonable” (as he put it), Washington will
ensure that the arms embargo 
on Tehran is extended.
