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Beirut, Aug. 7 (PTI/AP): Lebanese President Michel Aoun says there are two possibilities behind Tuesday's blast either negligence or external intervention by a missile or a bomb.
Aoun said Friday that he asked France for satellite images to see if there were warplanes or missiles in the air at the time of the blast.
The blast is believed to have been caused when a fire touched off 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port since it was taken from an impounded ship in 2013. The cause of the initial fire is not known.
Aoun told journalists that he received information on July 20 about the stored material and immediately ordered military and security officials to do what was necessary. He did not elaborate. He said several governments in charge since 2013 received warnings about the material.
He said the investigation is concentrating on 20 persons. He rejected an international investigation into the blast, saying that it will make us lose the truth.