Holding out for a miracle, the search for a possible survivor under Beirut’s rubble enters a third day

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Rescue workers dig through the rubble of a badly damaged building in Lebanon’s capital Beirut after scanners detected a pulse on September 4, 2020. (AFP)
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Updated 05 September 2020
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Holding out for a miracle, the search for a possible survivor under Beirut’s rubble enters a third day

  • A team with a rescue dog had detected signs of a pulse and breathing under a destroyed building
  • A moment of silence has been planned for Friday at 6.08 p.m. the time the blast ripped through the city

BEIRUT: The search for a possible survivor trapped under the debris of a building toppled by the devastating Beirut blast resumed on Saturday in the city’s Gemmayzeh district – two days after a sniffer dog first discovered possible signs of life.

A border collie dog working with volunteer Chilean rescuers had identified what was suspected to be signs of a person beneath the destroyed building on Thursday, sparking an intensive search.

Early on Friday, special equipment appeared to confirm that there were signs of two bodies - one potentially of a survivor after breathing was detected, trapped in the debris.

The life signs were minimak  - just 18 breaths per minute, while a faint heartbeat could also be detected, the Chilean team said.

However, Francisco Lermanda, head of the Chilean rescue team, said that it was likely whoever was trapped was in a coma.

The discovery was made 29 days after the huge explosion in Beirut’s port killed almost 200 people, injured 6,000, and devastated large areas of the city.

The building where the search was being conducted had once housed a bar on its ground floor.

“These (signs of breathing and pulse) along with the temperature sensor means there is a possibility of life,” rescue worker Eddy Bitar told reporters at the scene.

Rescue workers in bright jackets clambered over the building that had collapsed in the blast.

Bitar said a civil defense unit had been called in to help with extra equipment to conduct the search.

Local media said any search and rescue effort, if it became clear that someone was still alive, was likely to take hours.

Residents gathered nearby, holding out hope that someone could be found, while some voiced frustration that not enough had been done earlier to find survivors.

“How many people could have survived if there had been a state and rescue operations ready?” asked 28-year-old Chadem.

Rescue workers, many moving rubble with their bare hands, were preparing to work through Friday night in their efforts to find any survivor. They  initially suspended the search operation late on Thursday night, sparking angered reactions from locals.

Lermanda said: “We decided to dig three tunnels to reach him, and today we continued to work in these tunnels. We are only 120 cm away. We cannot yet confirm whether this person is alive or not out of respect for the feelings of the family.”

He added: “We will continue to work and will not stop until we get a result. We will work even if there is a 1 percent chance.” Lebanese troops cordoned off the building on Mar Mikhael Street amid fears the already weakened structure could collapse, while media crews set up facilities in the surrounding buildings for live broadcasts of the rescue operation.

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Residents in Beirut’s Gemmayze reacted angrily as rescue workers broke for the night. They resumed the search a short while later at 1 a.m. on Friday (Video: Tony Srour ANfr)

Lebanese troops cordoned off the building on Mar Mikhael Street amid fears the already weakened structure could collapse, while media crews set up facilities in the surrounding buildings for live broadcasts of the rescue operation.

The Chilean volunteers, who arrived in Beirut with their rescue dog Flash four days ago to help  search for missing people, have now been hailed as heroes, with one Lebanese activist saying the dog “was smarter than the entire government.”

Paolo Torres, a Chilean-born photojournalist, told Arab News the team belongs to an NGO known as the Topos International Research and Assistance Disaster Relief Foundation, which has extensive experience in mine rescue operations in Chile.

Torres said a member of the Chilean team had told him: “No one brought us here; we came from Chile to help Beirut.”

 


See more photos of the Beirut blast rescue efforts


 

Oscar-nominated director Nadine Labaki joined angered residents as they demanded the work continued.

“There could be someone alive,” she said. “That cannot wait until tomorrow morning.”

“You have no brains,” another woman was quoted as saying. “If your sister or mother was there, would you leave them?”

As a crowd gathered to await news of a “miracle,” Beirut residents took to social media to criticize their government, saying it had taken a foreign rescue team to find any signs of life so long after the Aug. 4 explosion.

One described the Chilean dog as a “hero” and wrote that it was “smarter than an entire government.”

However, Beirut Gov. Marwan Abboud, speaking during a visit to the rescue site, said: “Lebanon was not prepared for a crisis like this. We do not have the dogs, thermal machines, or the other equipment that the Chilean rescue team has.”

The Lebanese army said last Saturday that seven people, three Lebanese, three Syrians and one Egyptian, are still missing after the explosion.




As the search and rescue work continued, a truck was brought in that helps to reduce the dust produced as drilling work continued. (Photo: Tony Srour ANfr)

Across from Mar Mikhail, near Beirut port, a commemoration was held for the 191 victims of the blast in the presence of some of their relatives on Friday evening. Lebanon observed a minute’s silence at 6:08 p.m. on Friday.

Soldiers fired a salute, then laid a white rose for every one of the 191 victims at a memorial. The crowd fell silent at 6:08 p.m., the moment of the explosion that marked the most destructive single blast in Lebanon’s violent history.

The blast displaced 300,000 people and caused direct damage of $15 billion to 50,000 homes, nine major hospitals and 178 schools.

The second phase of the judicial investigation, led by Judge Fadi Sawan, will begin on Monday with four witnesses due to appear. Rola Al-Tabash, a member of the Future Parliamentary bloc, said the possibility that a survivor was still alive in the debris is “a new scandal that parallels the tragedy in Beirut.”

Businessman Bahaa Hariri tweeted that “due to mismanagement by the corrupt authorities, people were left to die under the rubble.”

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(With agencies)


Trump says had advance notice of Israeli strikes on Iran: Fox News

Updated 13 June 2025
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Trump says had advance notice of Israeli strikes on Iran: Fox News

  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier Thursday that the United States was “not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region”

Washington: US President Donald Trump told Fox News he was aware Israel was going to conduct strikes on Iran before it happened, and stressed that Tehran “cannot have a nuclear bomb,” according to the US broadcaster.

His comments to Fox came after Israel pounded Iran in a series of air raids on Friday, striking 100 targets including nuclear and military sites.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation took aim at the atomic facility in Natanz, while Iranian media said the country’s Revolutionary Guards leader Hossein Salami and armed forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri were killed.

Trump told Fox News that he was made aware of Israel’s operation before it happened.

“Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see,” Trump said, according to Fox News.

Fox News also reported that “Trump noted the US is ready to defend itself and Israel if Iran retaliates.”

It added that Trump’s administration reached out to at least one key Middle Eastern ally to acknowledge that the strike was going to happen, but reiterated that the US was not involved.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier Thursday that the United States was “not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region.”

“Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”

Trump will be attending a National Security Council meeting Friday morning.


Jordan closes airspace, says it won’t be battleground for any conflict

Updated 13 June 2025
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Jordan closes airspace, says it won’t be battleground for any conflict

DUBAI: Jordan has not and will not allow any violation of its airspace, nor will it be a battleground for any conflict, a senior minister said in a statement on Friday.

“Jordan’s national security is a red line, and the Kingdom will not allow any attempt to threaten its security and the safety of its citizens,” Mohammad Momani, Minister of Government Communication and Government Spokesperson added.

Royal Jordanian Air Force aircraft and air defense systems intercepted a number of missiles and drones that entered Jordanian airspace Friday morning, a report from state news agency Petra stated.

The interception operation came in response to military assessments that missiles and drones were bound to fall into Jordanian territory, including populated areas, which could cause casualties, Petra added.

Momani also urged the international community to exercise pressure in order to restore calm and prevent further escalation in the region.

Jordan’s aviation authority closed the country’s airspace and grounded all flights after Israel attacked Iran.

“The Kingdom’s airspace is temporarily closed, and air traffic suspended for all aircraft – incoming, outgoing and in transit, as a precaution against any risks resulting from the regional escalation,” the authority said in a statement.

The country’s armed forces were also placed on high alert in response to growing regional tensions, a military source said.

The General Command was closely monitoring developments in the region and that the armed forces were at the highest levels of operational and logistical readiness to respond any potential emergencies, the Petra report noted.


After Israel strikes Iran, airlines divert flights, airspace closed

Updated 13 June 2025
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After Israel strikes Iran, airlines divert flights, airspace closed

  • Iranian airspace has been closed until further notice, state media reported
  • Six commercial aircraft have been shot down unintentionally and three nearly missed since 2001, according to aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions

SEOUL: Airlines cleared out of the airspace over Israel, Iran and Iraq early on Friday after Israel launched attacks on targets in Iran, Flightradar24 data showed, with carriers scrambling to divert and cancel flights to keep passengers and crew safe.

Proliferating conflict zones around the world are becoming an increasing burden on airline operations and profitability, and more of a safety concern.

Six commercial aircraft have been shot down unintentionally and three nearly missed since 2001, according to aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions.

Israel on Friday said it targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders at the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.

Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel’s air defense units stood at high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.

Israeli flag carrier El Al Airlines said it had suspended flights to and from Israel.

Iranian airspace has been closed until further notice, state media reported.

Jordan also closed its airspace to all flights.

Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport said on its social media account that flight disruptions were expected and passengers were ‘advised to check with their airline for the latest status of their flights before travelling to the airport.’

Dubai’s Emirates Airline cancelled its Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran flights on Friday. Qatar Airways also cancelled flights to and from Iraq and Iran.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi also cancelled a number of flights on Friday that were scheduled to fly over areas affected by regional tensions in the Middle East.

As reports of strikes on Iran emerged, a number of commercial flights by airlines including Emirates, Lufthansa and Air India were flying over Iran.

Emirates, Lufthansa and Air India did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Iraq early on Friday closed its airspace and suspended all traffic at its airports, Iraqi state media reported.

Eastern Iraq near the border with Iran contains one of the world’s busiest air corridors, with dozens of flights crossing between Europe and the Gulf, many on routes from Asia to Europe, at any one moment.

Flights steadily diverted over Central Asia or Saudi Arabia, flight tracking data showed.

“The situation is still emerging — operators should use a high degree of caution in the region at this time,” according to Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organization that shares flight risk information.

Several flights due to land in Dubai were diverted early on Friday. An Emirates flight from Manchester to Dubai was diverted to Istanbul and a flydubai flight from Belgrade diverted to Yerevan, Armenia.

Budget carrier flydubai said it had suspended flights to Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Iran and Israel and a number of other flights had been canceled, rerouted or returned to their departure airports.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East since October 2023 led to commercial aviation sharing the skies with short-notice barrages of drones and missiles across major flight paths – some of which were reportedly close enough to be seen by pilots and passengers.

Last year, planes were shot down by weaponry in Kazakhstan and in Sudan. These incidents followed the high-profile downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 and of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 en route from Tehran in 2020.


Iran’s Khamenei warns Israel faces ‘bitter and painful fate’

Updated 13 June 2025
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Iran’s Khamenei warns Israel faces ‘bitter and painful fate’

  • Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami was killed in the Israeli military operation

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday that Israel will face “severe punishment” over its attack on the country.

Khamenei issued a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency. It also confirmed that top military officials and scientists had been killed in the attack.

Israel “opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to commit a crime against our beloved country, revealing its malicious nature more than ever by striking residential centers,” Khamenei said.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami was killed in the Israeli military operation. He was a veteran officer close to the supreme leader and known for his tirades against Israel and its US ally.

“If you make the slightest mistake, we will open the gates of hell for you,” the white-bearded general warned Tehran’s arch foes during a tour of an underground missile base in January.

An Israeli military official said that the Israeli Air Force targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, without identifying them.

Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it does not want – though officials there have repeatedly warned it could.


UN nuclear watchdog says ‘closely monitoring’ situation after Israel strikes Iran

Updated 13 June 2025
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UN nuclear watchdog says ‘closely monitoring’ situation after Israel strikes Iran

VIENNA: The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed Friday that Israeli strikes were targeting an Iranian uranium enrichment site, saying it was “closely monitoring the deeply concerning situation.”
“The IAEA is closely monitoring the deeply concerning situation in Iran. Agency can confirm Natanz site among targets,” International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said in a post on the agency’s X feed, as the IAEA’s board of governors meets this week in Vienna.
“The agency is in contact with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels. We are also in contact with our inspectors in the country,” he added.