Saad Hariri denies rumors on Egyptian aid to Beirut

CAIRO - 8 August 2020: Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri denied on Saturday media reports claiming that he slammed Egypt over sending expired medical and food supplies to Lebanese people after the deadly blast that claimed lives of 158 people and injured more than 6,000 others on Tuesday.

Hariri said that an unauthentic media outlet fabricated news on Hariri’s remarks on the Egyptian aid to Lebanon, saying “These suspicious campaigns aimed at damaging Premier Hariri's Arab and international relations.”

Hariri expressed his gratitude to the Egyptian Leadership for its urgent help and assistance to the Lebanese people.

صدر عن المكتب الإعلامي للرئيس سعد رفيق الحريري ما يلي:
يعمد منذ فترة أحد المواقع الإلكترونية المشبوهة نشر أخبار كاذبة تتعلق بالرئيس #سعد_الحريري، وآخرها فبركة كلام عن المساعدات المقدمة من جمهورية #مصر العربية. (١/٢)

— Saad Hariri (@saadhariri) August 8, 2020

it has been circulated on social media platform that Hariri refused to receive the Egyptian shipment of aid because it was expired.

The second Egyptian plane carrying medical assistance arrived in Lebanon on Saturday morning as part of an airlift urgently launched by Egypt to support Lebanon in the wake of Beirut Port massive blast that took place on Tuesday.

The plane, which was received by the Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon, Yasser Alawi, was carrying 14 tons of foodstuff and wheat presented from Egypt to Lebanon in light of the directives of the Egyptian political leadership to help Lebanon in the current crisis.

Alawi also announced earlier today that the Egyptian government decided to send medical aid to Lebanon every 48 hours until next Wednesday, August 12th.

Egypt had sent two planes carrying medical supplies to Beirut following directives by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to offer urgent assistance to the country, Minister of State for Information Osama Heikal said in a statement.

Lebanese officials have said the explosion was caused by ammonium nitrate, 2,750 tons of which had been stored in a warehouse at the port for six years after being confiscated from a ship.

Several countries around the globe sent or pledged assistance to Lebanon; Egypt, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Iran already sent planes and ships of food, medical, and oil aid. Meanwhile, countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, Germany, Algeria, and the European Union pledged emergency assistance.