Talk:2020 Beirut explosion

This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 11 March 2025

Please revert the last two edits to this article by BasselHarfouch. They do not add any relevant information, and seem much more like an attempt to spread propaganda. BoMbY (talk) 13:10, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

I have Boldly reverted the two edits. Can be discussed here if other editors have different views. - Davidships (talk) 19:13, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

The edits you previously reverted have now been reinstated by "BasselHarfouch," with additional referencing that does little to change the fundamental issue—his contributions are politically motivated rather than encyclopedic.

Many of the sources he cites do not even support the conclusions he is pushing in the "Iran’s involvement" section. Several are unreliable and fail to meet Wikipedia’s WP:RS guidelines. This is a clear attempt to inject speculation and propaganda into an article that should be based solely on verified facts.

Given this user's persistence in reinserting politically charged and misleading content, I strongly urge placing extended edit protection on this article. Without such measures, this page risks becoming a battleground for misinformation rather than a neutral, fact-based resource. 2A02:8071:5160:F8A0:29B6:656B:15D5:2BCA (talk) 23:05, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

Only the Iran-related content has, to date, been restored, and is now more widely referenced. I am not in a position to assess the credibility or reliability of those sources. Perhaps some additional editors will be able to give their views on that. - Davidships (talk) 23:18, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

The sources are unreliable, politically biased, and do not substantiate his claims. For instance:

IFMAT and Iran Watch are advocacy-driven sites with a history of pushing anti-Iran narratives rather than providing neutral, well-sourced journalism.

Atalayar is not recognized as a reputable investigative source, and its report relies on unnamed intelligence sources without concrete verification.

The Ship Arrested document and Al Jazeera/BBC reports mention the MV Rhosus but do not support the claim that Iran was behind the shipment.

The Nidaa al-Watan article is a partisan Lebanese source with a strong anti-Iran bias, making it an unreliable citation for an assertion of this magnitude.

Even if we were to set aside any concerns about the reliability of these sources, they still fail to support the conclusions presented in the section. Convince yourself by checking the sources. 2A02:8071:5160:F8A0:29B6:656B:15D5:2BCA (talk) 23:53, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

Two months later and the guy is still spreading his propaganda all over Wikipedia. He uses ChatGPT to produce paragraphs with querries that yield partisan sources to support his story. 2A02:8071:5160:F8A0:542:7DEF:B6E2:811B (talk) 02:07, 19 May 2025 (UTC)

The user in question has now also received warnings from others for using AI to create encyclopedic content as can be seen on his discussion page. He most likely prompts the language model to create accusations and slander with partisan sources that fit his views that have no place on wiki. ~2026-79316 (talk) 22:32, 4 January 2026 (UTC)

The second explosion, 33 to 35 seconds later (This part is inaccurate)

When that part was made we had no good footage availbile of the full process of the fire or first explosion, most footage started after the first explosion.

Since then some footage starting decently early has been found. It was 31 seconds.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CatastrophicFailure/comments/15bf5zf/beirut_explosion_closest_video_of_the_main_blast/ (Can no longer find the original twitter thread, but here). Shows 3 cuts of footage, the first two depicting the oil fire early on prior to the first explosion(which there isn't a lot of footage of) and the last one depicting the start of the first explosion with the firework pops until the cameraman is knocked out by the second explosion) TheBrodsterBoy (talk) 00:28, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

another one https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/i4kxjb/closest_footage_so_far_of_the_beirut_lebanon_blast/

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 12 April 2025

Source 217 states that 10 individuals have been "charged", not "sentenced", as it is currently stated in this article. Different things. --Polmas (talk) 12:59, 12 April 2025 (UTC) Polmas (talk) 12:59, 12 April 2025 (UTC)

Already done twisted. (user | talk | contribs) 19:58, 13 April 2025 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 9 September 2025

Requesting the change the following incorrect statement "However, part of the elevator's sturdy structure survived, shielding a large area of western Beirut from greater destruction.[15]," in the Damage section, to: "Research works have shown that the shielding effect of the silos diminishes with distance, with the blast wave intensity largely restored at 450 m. Consequently, the silos’ shadowing effect was limited to nearby port structures and part of the Lebanese navy base, which still incurred severe damage. The lesser impact on western Beirut is attributed to its greater distance from the explosion rather than the silos’ protective influence.[1001-1002]"

Supporting references: [1001] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00193-024-01189-y [1002] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00193-025-01241-5 GPZ76 (talk) 16:51, 9 September 2025 (UTC)

 Done But in a way that's more balanced, keeping a record of the original conclusions. STEMinfo (talk) 00:53, 8 October 2025 (UTC)