The Middle East is plagued by conspiracy theories and the reality of hidden wars in the region. There is no doubt that Beirut’s blast falls within this context. Some say it is the doing of external parties even though all available evidence points towards neglect.
The size of human, material, and economic damage caused by the explosion will be a game changer for Lebanon and that is what some countries perhaps are seeking.
Hidden Wars
According to a Western official, experts and monitors of developments in the Middle East were waiting for a major event because of the accumulation of a score of issues, especially in two files: the hidden war between Iran and Israel and the rulings to be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in which figures from Hezbollah were expected to be charged.
In the past weeks, Iran has been the subject of a series of "mysterious bombings" targeting its nuclear program.
More so, positions held by Iranian forces and their proxies in Syria have been targeted by some 20 airstrikes across eight Syrian provinces within 100 days. Around 100 personnel of Iran-affiliated groups were killed in the air raids.
Iranian militias in the Boukamal countryside near Deir Ezzor were also bombarded by an unknown source.
On Monday, Israel struck a cell believed to be tied to Iran and a number of Syrian observation posts in Al Qunaitra countryside in the Golan Heights.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Tuesday, dished out warnings to Damascus and Hezbollah that any retaliation for the killing of a Hezbollah official by an Israeli raid will be met with a ‘heavy’ response.
This coincided with military maneuvers conducted by the Israeli army over the occupied Golan Heights.
Netanyahu’s remarks followed rare talks for the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley in Tel Aviv to coordinate against Iran.
The Western official also noted that with US presidential elections coming up, Israelis are rushing to direct major strikes against Iran in Syria.
The Beirut blast also took place a few days before the date of issuing the ruling on the assassination of the Lebanese PM Hariri, which was scheduled for Friday the 4th, and which accuses four defendants of plotting the 2005 bombing that killed the prime minister.
The Western official said that everyone was highly anticipating the issuing of the ruling amid political divisions and an economic crisis striking the country.
In the face of these facts, the Middle East theater was prepared for a major event, whether it be a military confrontation or a round of hidden wars in the region. The fact that the Beirut port blast was caused by ‘ammonium nitrate,’ which is used in explosions, has reinforced some people's beliefs that it was an episode of a hidden war.
