President Trump referred to the Beirut explosion that killed dozens as “an attack” and said generals he consulted with seem to believe “it was a bomb of some kind.”
The president made the surprising comments during his scheduled Tuesday White House press conference. Officials in Lebanon have not called the blast an attack but have said that the port where it occurred may have housed some 2,700 tons of seized ammonium nitrate.
At the start of the news conference, Trump first referred to the explosion as an attack while offering his condolences and U.S. assistance to the Lebanese people while they recover from the blast, which left thousands injured and at least 73 dead, a number that is expected to rise. A reporter at the briefing later asked the president to elaborate on what he meant by “attack.”
“It would seem like [an attack], based on the explosion. I’ve met with some of our great generals, and they just seem to feel that it was. This was not some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event,” Trump said. “This was a — seems to be, according to them — they would know better than I would — but they seem to think it was an attack, it was a bomb of some kind.”
The Washington Examiner immediately reached out to the Pentagon and White House regarding the president’s comments about the explosion but has not yet received a response.
Trump also offered his condolences to the people of Lebanon.
“Reports indicate that many, many people were killed. Hundreds more were very badly wounded in a large explosion in Beirut,” he said. “Our prayers go out to all the victims and their families. The United States stands ready to assist Lebanon.”
“We have a very good relationship with the people of Lebanon, and we will be there to help,” he added. “It looks like a terrible attack.”
