ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – An airplane carrying 20 tons of medical aid from the Iraqi government landed in Beirut on Wednesday evening to support those wounded in the city’s recent deadly explosion, Iraq’s oil minister told Iraqi state-media. “Under the guidance of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, an Iraqi delegation led by the oil minister arrived in Beirut with 20 tons of medical aids,” Ihsan Abdul-Jabar announced on Wednesday of his visit. “The delegation consists of 15 senior doctors to provide support to the hospitals in Lebanon.” Abdul-Jabar says the medical assistance from Baghdad is aimed at showing “love and brotherhood” to the people of Lebanon during the current crisis. The Iraqi oil minister also informed the Lebanese Prime Minister on Wednesday in an official meeting that Baghdad also aims to provide “oil and fuel for Beirut,” according to state media. A twin blast rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday, killing at least 135 people, and wounding around 5,000 others, according to Lebanon's health minister Hamad Hassan. The numbers are expected to rise as debris is cleared across the city. President Michel Aoun attributed the blast to 2,750 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored at the city's port since 2013, prompting angry reactions from civilians already frustrated with the political establishment. At least 300,000 have been left homeless, according to Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud, who said at least half the city has been damaged. Hospitals and NGOS have appealed for blood donors as they struggle to cope with the number of casualties. Photos shared on social media show health workers attending to patients in car parks after escaping damaged buildings, already at full capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic. The blast has devastated the economic heart of Lebanon during a time of unprecedented financial crisis, with the value of the Lebanese pound plummeting since October 2019, when anti-government protests erupted across the country, leaving many jobless and unable to feed their families.
