Russia will send satellite images to Lebanon from Beirut port blast

In October, Lebanese President Michel Aoun asked Russia for the satellite images from Aug. 4, 2020, when an explosion killed more than 215 people, injured thousands and destroyed swathes of Beirut.

A satellite image shows damages following Tuesday's blast in the port area in Beirut, Lebanon August 5, 2020 (photo credit: EUROPEAN SPACE IMAGING/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
A satellite image shows damages following Tuesday's blast in the port area in Beirut, Lebanon August 5, 2020
(photo credit: EUROPEAN SPACE IMAGING/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Russia's space agency Roscosmos will send Lebanon the satellite images it has for Beirut's port before and after a huge explosion rocked it last year, its head Dmitry Rogozin told reporters on Wednesday.

In October, Lebanese President Michel Aoun asked Russia for the satellite images from Aug. 4, 2020, when the blast killed more than 215 people, injured thousands and destroyed swathes of the Lebanese capital. The probe still continues.

A combination of satellite images shows the area, which was heavily damaged by a massive explosion and a blast wave, on August 5, 2020 and the same area on November 4, 2019 in Beirut, Lebanon. (credit: RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY ROSCOSMOS/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
A combination of satellite images shows the area, which was heavily damaged by a massive explosion and a blast wave, on August 5, 2020 and the same area on November 4, 2019 in Beirut, Lebanon. (credit: RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY ROSCOSMOS/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

"I signed a paper today enclosing quite detailed imagery in response to a request from the Lebanese leadership," Rogozin said.

The blast was one of the world's largest non-nuclear explosions and the country's worst peace-time disaster as it slips into political and economic meltdown.

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will discuss mutual relationship between the two countries with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdallah Bou Habib in Moscow on Nov. 22, the Russian ministry said in Wednesday.