Lebanon: From Deadly Explosion to New PM Resignation

An army helicopter drops water on a fire at warehouses at the seaport in Beirut. (AP)
An army helicopter drops water on a fire at warehouses at the seaport in Beirut. (AP)
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Lebanon: From Deadly Explosion to New PM Resignation

An army helicopter drops water on a fire at warehouses at the seaport in Beirut. (AP)
An army helicopter drops water on a fire at warehouses at the seaport in Beirut. (AP)

From the Beirut port blast to premier-designate Mustapha Adib stepping down on Saturday after less than a month of trying to form a new cabinet, here are developments in crisis-hit Lebanon:

Devastation

On August 4, one of the world's biggest ever non-nuclear explosions destroys much of Beirut's port and devastates swathes of the capital.

The detonation was caused by a fire in a warehouse which Lebanese authorities acknowledge held a vast stockpile of ammonium nitrate for the past six years.

The huge explosion leaves more than 190 dead, over 6,500 injured and ravages large parts of Beirut.

The tragedy strikes as Lebanon has for months been mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, marked by an unprecedented depreciation of its currency, massive layoffs and drastic banking restrictions.

'Apocalyptic situation'

Beirut is in a state of shock, with residents looking for the missing, tending to the wounded and searching gutted buildings for pets and belongings.

It is an "apocalyptic situation", says Beirut governor Marwan Aboud, a day after the blast. A state of emergency is declared. International aid starts to fly in.

Macron weighs in

On August 6, Macron visits Beirut and walks through the devastated Beirut neighborhood of Gemmayzeh.

His visit is praised by many Lebanese angry at their own leaders, whom they accuse of corruption and incompetence.

Macron calls for an international probe and for the "deep changes" that the Lebanese population has been demanding for months.

President Michel Aoun the next day rejects any international probe into the disaster.

Protests

On August 8, following a handful of lawmakers resigning, thousands of Lebanese call for vengeance against their leaders over the explosion.

Clashes erupt between security forces, using tear gas and rubber bullets, and protesters.

Demonstrators storm a series of ministries and the banking association, occupying the foreign ministry for several hours.

International aid

On August 9, the international community pledges around $300 million in emergency aid at a video conference jointly organized by France and the United Nations.

The international community promises to stand by Lebanon but demands that its aid be directly distributed to the population, and a transparent probe be carried out.

Government resigns

On August 10, prime minister Hassan Diab announces the resignation of his government.

Demonstrators again take to the streets of Beirut and clash with security forces.

System criticized

On August 28, Macron points to the "constraints of a confessional system" in a country where political posts are allocated by sect.

"If we let Lebanon go... it will be civil war," he warns.

Two days later, Hassan Nasrallah, chief of the Iran-backed Hezbollah party , says his group is "open" to a French proposal for a new political pact for Lebanon.

Aoun calls for the proclamation of a "secular state" during a televised address to mark the centenary of the Lebanese state.

New premier

On August 31, diplomat Mustapha Adib is named as Lebanon's new premier.

He vows to carry out reforms demanded by the international community and to conclude an accord with the International Monetary Fund.

Macron lands in Beirut hours later, extracting a promise from all political sides to help Adib form a crisis government of independents in less than a fortnight.

PM-designate resigns

On September 26, less than a month later, Adib bows out, apologizing to the Lebanese people over his "inability to realize its aspirations for a reformist team".

His resignation follows weeks of deadlock, including over the insistence of the two main Shiite parties Hezbollah and Amal on keeping the finance ministry under their control.

President Michel Aoun accepts Adib's resignation and is set to "take the appropriate measures according to the requirements of the constitution".



Father of Six Killed ‘For Piece of Bread’ During Gaza Aid Distribution

 Palestinians carry the body of Hossam Wafi who, according to family members, was killed in an Israeli strike, during his funeral in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry the body of Hossam Wafi who, according to family members, was killed in an Israeli strike, during his funeral in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP)
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Father of Six Killed ‘For Piece of Bread’ During Gaza Aid Distribution

 Palestinians carry the body of Hossam Wafi who, according to family members, was killed in an Israeli strike, during his funeral in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry the body of Hossam Wafi who, according to family members, was killed in an Israeli strike, during his funeral in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP)

Cries of grief echoed across southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital Monday as dozens came to mourn Hossam Wafi, after the father of six was killed while attempting to get supplies to feed his family.

His mother, Nahla Wafi, sobbed uncontrollably over her son, who was among 31 people killed by Israeli fire while trying to reach a food distribution site the previous day, according to the Palestinian territory's civil defense agency.

"He went to get food for his daughters and came back dead," said Nahla Wafi, who lost two sons and a nephew on Sunday.

Hossam Wafi had travelled with his brother and nephew to a newly established distribution center in the southern city of Rafah.

"They were just trying to buy (flour). But the drone came down on them," his mother said, as she tried to comfort four of her granddaughters in the courtyard of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

Israel has faced growing condemnation over the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has warned the entire population faces the risk of famine.

-'Go there and get bombed'-

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that its field hospital in Rafah received 179 cases on Sunday, including 21 pronounced dead on arrival.

The ICRC said that all those wounded "said they had been trying to reach an aid distribution site", and that "the majority suffered gunshot or shrapnel wounds".

Israeli authorities and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US and Israeli-backed outfit that runs the distribution centers, denied any such incident took place.

The military instead said that troops fired "warning shots" at people who approached them one kilometer away from the Rafah distribution site before dawn.

A witness told AFP thousands of people gathered at the area, known locally as the Al-Alam junction, between 2:00 and 4:00 am (2300 GMT and 0100 GMT) in the hopes of reaching the distribution center.

At Nasser Hospital, Hossam Wafi's young daughters called out for their father, kissing his body wrapped in a white shroud, before it was taken away.

Outside the hospital, dozens of men stood in silence before the body, praying. Some cried as the remains were taken away, one of them holding the father's face until he was gently pulled away.

His uncle, Ali Wafi, told AFP he felt angry his nephew was killed while trying to get aid.

"They go there and get bombed -- airstrikes, tanks, shelling -- all for a piece of bread," he said.

"He went for a bite of bread, not for anything else. What was he supposed to do? He had to feed his little kids. And the result? He's getting buried today," he added.

- Militarized aid -

The deaths in Rafah were one of two deadly incidents reported by Gaza's civil defense agency on Sunday around the GHF centers, which the UN says contravene basic humanitarian principles and appear designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

There have been several other reports of chaotic scenes and warning shots fired in connection with the distribution sites over the past week.

The UN's humanitarian agency (OCHA) published a video of one such distribution site in central Gaza's Netzarim corridor on Thursday.

A large crowd is seen gathered around four long corridors made from metal fences installed in the middle of an arid landscape, corralling men and women into files to receive flour.

The distribution site and its waiting area sit on a flattened piece of land surrounded by massive mounds of soil and sand.

It is manned by English-speaking security guards travelling in armored vehicles.

Palestinians exiting the distribution area carry cardboard boxes sometimes bearing a "GHF" logo, as well as wooden pallets presumably to be repurposed as fuel or structures for shelter.

In the large crowd gathered outside the gated corridors, some men are seen shoving each other, and one woman complains that her food package was stolen.

Hossam Wafi's uncle Ali said he wished Gaza's people could safely get aid.

"People take the risk (to reach the distribution site), just so they can survive."