Why Did The UN, Canadian and French Embassies Know About The Explosion But Not Us Lebanese?

News of an explosion in the Verdun area of Beirut is currently the most horrifying thing to happen in Lebanon in a long time.

The positive aspect of things is that the damage seems to be only material with BLOM’s HQ being the apparent target. As of now, there are no casualties. The attack happening around Iftar time means that few people were around the area as well.

At a time when some entities want this to become a reality for us in Lebanon, no casualties is a sigh of relief.

One has to wonder though, how did the UN, Canadian and French embassies know that such a thing would happen over the weekend and we, as Lebanese, had no inkling or warning whatsoever?

The pictures at the top of the article are two statements issued by the UN and the Canadian authorities respectively to their constituents to avoid the specific area of Beirut that was targeted, and Hamra in general.

Two days ago, the French Foreign Affairs ministry escalated Lebanon’s security status and warned its citizens from visiting the country.

The above also applies to the instructions workers at international NGOs operating in the country received this weekend.

The question therefore begets itself: where was our entire security apparatus from all of this? Why is our worth as Lebanese always less than every single other nationality in our own country? If international agencies and foreign countries had suspicions that such a thing could happen, were our security forces not aware or were they not in the loop to begin with?

No casualties is no excuse for us to let such a thing pass by unnoticed. It is our right as Lebanese to live in our country with the utmost levels of security, not to be second class entities in our own land and in our own homes.

Right now is not the time to discuss the politics of such an attack and whether it occurring is obvious or not, or whether the context of such an attack and the bank it targets points fingers. Right now is the time to hope that no innocent life has been lost in this country for being at the wrong place at the wrong time once again, for us being perpetual victims of our existence in this land.

Stay safe everyone.

6 thoughts on “Why Did The UN, Canadian and French Embassies Know About The Explosion But Not Us Lebanese?”

I’m in no way shape or form obviously happy that this has happened (who would be?), yet, I can understand- to some extent- why, IF the Lebanese security forces had knowledge of this, the country and fellow Lebanese citizens would not be alerted.. only for reasons that involve not wanting to escalate terror.. because that is exactly what terrorists want. Thank heaven that casualties were minimal, and I have a feeling that should it have been estimated (again, under the presumption that our forces did know) that such an attack were to lead to disastrous measures, then withholding the necessary preemptive security would be immeasurably f*ed up. Not that things aren’t already (in more ways than one).

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Hi there. I am a Lebanese expat and don’t always follow Lebanese news except when major stuff is going on. I enjoy your updates and analysis on various topics. Thanks and carry on.

Sent from my iPad

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American, British and Dutch intelligence knew that a terrorist attack will occur on 9/11 targeting the Twin Towers.
But hey, the bearded guy did it.

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You know anyone can photoshop this image, right? there’s no source, no link, nothing. Please stop sharing this and spreading false fake news.

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I don’t think your question is very valid. The thing is the Lebanese security apparatus know that there are imminent threats from ISIS and other terrorist groups… The Embassies probably escalated their threat levels following the capture of a ring that claimed that they were planning on Paris style attacks.

I’m not one to back the government, but Mashnouk’s claim that this attack is separate from others makes sense. The attack was planned at a time when injuries would be almost minimal (Sunday, iftar time in a mostly Muslim area). ISIS and the rest of the herds always aim to strike big and have as many casualties as possible, so this attack is so unlike them.

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