Assad-Linked Businessmen Tied to Beirut Blast in August
The port of Lebanon’s capital Beirut after an explosion of ammonium nitrate, August 4, 2020 (Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty)
Three Syrian businessmen linked to the Assad regime have been connected to the devastating port blast in Lebanon’s capital Beirut in August.
An investigation has tied George Haswani and the brothers Imad and Mudalal Khuri to the company which bought the ammonium nitrate that was stored in a port warehouse since November 2013.
The detonation of 2,750 tons of the nitrate on August 4 destroyed the port, causing at least 204 deaths, and 7,500 injuries, and $15 billion in damage. With the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, the blast levelled the immediate area, which provides 60% of Lebanon’s imports, and much of Beirut.