The Beirut explosion is a catastrophe with damage in the billions, some claim as much as $15 billion. While rescue teams and emergency aid have come from all over the world, from Europe to Australia, the big question is how is the country expected to rebuild itself, when already under a massive financial and economic crisis. About $11 billion was pledged to Lebanon at a 2018 so-called Paris conference, but on condition of reforms. French President Emmanuel Macron is to visit Lebanon in solidarity, but France is the country that has been demanding reforms as a precondition for economic aid, so we will see what happens.
The death toll has reached 135, more than 100,000 people are left homeless and four major hospitals were destroyed, leaving the health system unable to deal with the 5,000 people injured, many very seriously.
The political fallout is expected to be great, which no doubt led to the decision by the UN-backed tribunal to postpone the judgments in the trial of four people charged with involvement in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, until Aug. 18. The verdicts were to be read out Aug. 7 in a Netherlands courtroom.
UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said it was too early to say if the UN will issue an international appeal to help rebuild Beirut.
