She took cover from the flying debris, thoughts rushing through her head of past political assassinations in Lebanon. Her immediate reaction was that Hezbollah, the militant group that dominates power here, was targeting the dissidents’ meeting. The blast was in fact at the port of Beirut, caused by a stockpile of ammonium nitrate stored there for years. No direct connection to Hezbollah has emerged in the explosion that wreaked destruction across the city and killed at least 180 people. Jaafar’s initial reaction reflected the fear Hezbollah has instilled among many Lebanese and the power it has succeeded in projecting over the past decade.

Source: International New York Times August 30, 2020 07:18 UTC