Lebanon's Leaders Were Warned in July About Explosives at Port
Lebanese security officials warned the prime minister and president last month that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut’s port posed a security risk and could destroy the capital if it exploded, according to documents seen by Reuters and senior security sources.Just over two weeks later, the industrial chemicals exploded in a massive blast that obliterated most of the port, killed at least 163 people, injured 6,000 more and destroyed some 6,000 buildings, according…
Final Sea Trials for "Chemical Weapon Destruction" Ship
The US Military Sealift Command ship 'MV Cape Ray' has left Portsmouth, Va., to conduct final sea trials in preparation for its upcoming mission to destroy Syrian chemical weapons. During the sea trials, the crew and the Field-Deployable Hydrolysis System operators are evaluating the ship and the system at various sea states. The ship is expected to return shortly for final outfitting before deploying to an as-yet undisclosed location in the Mediterranean Sea sometime late this week or early next week, according to Army Col. Steve Warren , a Pentagon spokesman.