Beirut: Even as a high level probe has started into the huge blast in port warehouses near central Beirut storing highly explosive material that killed 78 people and injured nearly 4,000, the whole world has extended its support to Lebanon.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab told the nation there would be accountability for the deadly blast at the ‘dangerous warehouse . “Those responsible will pay the price,” he said in a televised address to the nation, adding that details would be made public.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo extended his ‘deepest condolences’ to the people of Beirut and said the United States is closely monitoring the situation.
“Our team in Beirut has reported to me the extensive damage to a city and a people that I hold dear, an additional challenge in a time of already deep crisis,” Pompeo said in a written statement.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a tweet that his country was sending aid. Israel offered emergency assistance through international intermediaries, its Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Iran also said it was ready to help ‘Stay strong, Lebanon,’ its foreign minister, Javad Zarif, said in a tweet.