Note that no one can yet rule out:
1. That Iran was storing missiles in the "smugglers rooms" under the port, and fueling them from that fertilizer;
2. That the "fireworks" were in fact fireworks, rather than other Hezbollah stored explosives; and
3. Why the fertilizer was stored for so many years - incompetence, a massive black ops by Iran or just stupidity on the part of the erstwhile government.
Have at it.
The speed of sound in air is 343 meters per second. Based on the viewing angle and distinctive red chairs pictured in some of the later frames, I traced one of the Beirut videos posted by The Guardian to its filming location on the rooftop terrace of La Mezcaleria Rooftop Bar, and measured it to be 885 meters from the center of the blast. From that vantage, the pressure wave can be seen neatly traveling from the center of the blast first to the point halfway between the end of the pier and the edge of the long, massive gray grain silo building, a distance of 151 meters, then to the end of the pier, 262 meters, then eventually to La Mezcaleria.
By measuring the times at which the pressure wave reaches these landmarks on the video, we know that, as it blazed down the pier, its rampage occurred at a speed of only 312 meters per second. That’s slow for a bomb. Then by the time the audible crash and mayhem reached the formerly peaceful and picturesque outdoor bar, it had slowed to at most 289 meters per second. The pressure wave, slower than the 343 meters per second speed of sound, caused destruction, horror, confusion, shattered glass, torn-apart flat surfaces, and disorientation for onlookers as their ears were subjected to the rapid pressure fluctuations. But a shock wave could have caused them to drop dead from lung trauma as they watched.
It's the muslim way.
Well the people of Lebanon are overwhelvlmingly blaming their government, which is propped up by Hezbollah. So either way it looks like Hezbollah will be the one standing when the music stops.
CC
It doesn’t take much over pressure to destroy structures.
Lebanese authorities have since announced that port officials responsible for storing and guarding the ammonium nitrate are being held under house arrest. The traditional “it wasn’t me” blame game of contemporary Lebanese politics is now playing out, as the former warlords line up to shift the accountability toward anyone but themselves.
How that plays out with a Lebanese population already pushed long past the point of potential insurrection remains unknown. But the hashtag “hang up the nooses” trending in Arabic on Twitter may cause Lebanon’s corrupt warlords to wonder whether their impunity is soon to be tested.
Chernobyl was not just the story of a disastrous testing accident in a Soviet nuclear power plant. It was the product of how endemic arrogance, negligence, careerism, and authoritarianism created a system that allowed that disaster. It was the Soviet Union in a microcosm, a deadly outcrop of decades of political failure and negligence that would ultimate help bring down the entire nation. The handful of local officials convicted and sentenced were guilty enough—but they weren’t the ultimate culprits.
Likewise, the story of the Beirut warehouse blasts is not one of a construction accident leading to a tragedy. It’s the tale of how a gang of warlords carved up a country and governed with prejudice, incompetence, and a total indifference to human suffering while robbing a helpless and defenseless population blind.
And, like Chernobyl, it is almost guaranteed that none of the men truly responsible for this catastrophe will ever face justice for their crimes.
Israa Seblani , the bride, is beautiful
Is that guy who does Achmed the Dead Terrorist still around?
Cause he’s got some good new material here.
I am still wondering if the Mossad did it from the inside.
Bookmark!
As an engineer who has actually measured shock waves from explosions and projectiles, it looked like a shock wave to me.
Enough AN will produce a shock wave.
The link does not lead to the analysis quoted.
I don't think AN is well suited to use either as a missile propellant or a warhead explosive.
There are distinct flashes in the smoke from the fire before the main explosion. Either military explosives or fireworks come to mind. Storing either near than much AN is just plain stupid.
All the accounts of the history of the AN leave out some big issues. Who paid for unloading the ship and who was paying the warehouse fees for storing the AN? Who actually owned the AN? Answer those questions and things will become a lot more clear.
Carlos Osweda Twitter feed...