London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

Boris pledges to support Beirut 'in any way we can' following huge explosion

Boris pledges to support Beirut 'in any way we can' following huge explosion

Boris Johnson has pledged to provide support to Beirut ‘in any way we can’ following a huge explosion which has left at least 78 people dead and more than 4,000 injured.

The gigantic blast went off in the city’s port this evening, where explosives were reportedly being stored in warehouses. Shocking footage from the Lebanese capital showed people soaked in blood, buildings left in ruins and debris scattered across roads.

It is not yet known what caused the explosion. Sources says overwhelmed hospitals are having to treat the wounded in car parks and are calling out for blood donations for victims.

Taking to Twitter this evening, Johnson described the destruction left in Beirut as ‘shocking’. He went on: ‘All of my thoughts and prayers are with those caught up in this terrible incident. The UK is ready to provide support in any way we can, including to those British nationals affected.’

"The pictures and videos from Beirut tonight are shocking. All of my thoughts and prayers are with those caught up in this terrible incident. The UK is ready to provide support in any way we can, including to those British nationals affected." — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 4, 2020






His words were echoed by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who also tweeted that the UK ‘stands in solidarity with the people of Lebanon’. He stated that his thoughts and prayers were with everyone affected by the blast.

French President Emmanuel Macron also wrote on social media that aid and resources are already being delivered to Beirut from France, while Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said he also stood ‘ready to assist’ where possible.

Israel also offered humanitarian assistance, with Defence Minister Benny Gantz stating that the nation had approached the Lebanese government through ‘international security and diplomatic channels’.

Earlier this evening Israeli officials denied involvement in the explosion amid ongoing tensions caused by a cross-border confrontation between the country and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.





US President Donald Trump also offered his support during the daily coronavirus press conference at the White House. He told reporters: ‘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 the stated that the explosion looked like a ‘terrible attack’, before adding that US generals seemed to think ‘it was a bomb of some kind, yes’.

The death toll from the explosion is expected to rise this evening, with Lebanese Red Cross official Georges Kettaneh stating that there were ‘hundreds of casualties’ in the city.

Arriving in the area this evening, Beirut’s governor Marwan Abboud broke down in tears as he talked about helping to search for fire fighters who had ‘vanished’ while putting out the blaze. A team are searching through the rubble for those missing.







He continued: ‘This reminds me of what happened in Japan, to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I’ve never seen damage of this size and width, and so catastrophic. This is a national catastrophe. This is a problem for Lebanon, and we don’t know how we’re going to get out of it. This is a lot. It’s a lot all at once for people.’

One witness told Reuters: ‘I saw a fireball and smoke billowing over Beirut. People were screaming and running, bleeding. Balconies were blown off buildings. Glass in high-rise buildings shattered and fell to the street.’

Another person described seeing heavy grey smoke near the port area, before hearing the explosion and seeing flames of fire and black smoke. They went on: ‘All the downtown area windows are smashed and there are wounded people walking around. It is total chaos.’

The explosion was also felt by residents in Cyprus, more than 145 miles away from Beirut, with witnesses feeling their windows rattle and describing it as similar to thunder.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×