III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 682 

Recognizing the devastating explosion that rocked the Port of Beirut on 

August 4, 2020, and expressing solidarity with the Lebanese people. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 13, 2020 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. RISCH, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. 

WARNER, Mr. ROMNEY, Mr. MURPHY, and Mr. PORTMAN) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the devastating explosion that rocked the Port 

of Beirut on August 4, 2020, and expressing solidarity 

with the Lebanese people. 

Whereas, on August 4, 2020, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate detonated at the Port of Beirut, killing more than 

200 people and injuring thousands more; 

Whereas the dangerous and highly explosive material was 

unsafely stored at the Port of Beirut since 2014, despite 

repeated warnings over the threat the stockpile posed to 

the surrounding civilian population; 

Whereas the Secretary General of the Lebanese Red Cross 

was quoted as saying, ‘‘What we are witnessing is a huge 

catastrophe.’’; 


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•SRES 682 IS 

Whereas the blast destroyed vast swaths of infrastructure 

across Beirut and displaced up to 300,000 people; 

Whereas the blast destroyed or damaged the entire port of 

Beirut, through which Lebanon imports the bulk of its 

food, including the destruction of approximately 120,000 

metric tons of desperately needed food stocks, according 

to the United Nations; 

Whereas, prior to the blast, nearly 1,000,000 people in the 

Beirut metropolitan area, including more than 500,000 

children, did not have the means to buy basic essentials, 

including food; 

Whereas Lebanon already struggles to support the largest 

per-capita population of refugees in the world, including 

nearly 1,000,000 Syrian refugees currently registered 

with the United Nations; 

Whereas the governor of Beirut predicted that the full cost 

of recovery and relief could be between $3,000,000,000 

and $5,000,000,000; 

Whereas several Beirut hospitals, already struggling to procure medical equipment and pay medical staff amid the 

spread of COVID–19, have sustained too much blast 

damage to admit new patients; 

Whereas the blasts coincides with a period of protracted political crisis in Lebanon; 

Whereas, after months of political deadlock, Lebanon formed 

a government in January of this year with the backing 

of Hezbollah, a United States-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), and its allies; 

Whereas endemic corruption and Hezbollah’s mismanagement 

has led Lebanon to the brink of economic collapse, including an 80 percent currency devaluation since 2019, 


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one of the highest rates of public debt, food insecurity, 

and hyperinflation; 

Whereas the United States Government has longstanding 

concerns about Hezbollah’s use of and influence over the 

Beirut port as a transit and storage point for its terrorist 

enterprise; 

Whereas the people of Lebanon across the political spectrum 

have renewed demands for a meaningful change in Lebanon’s political leadership, government accountability, 

and transparency; 

Whereas, following the explosion and public outcry from the 

Lebanese people, Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced 

on August 10, 2020, that he and his government would 

step down; 

Whereas international donors, including the United States, 

have pledged $297,000,000 in aid to Lebanon at a virtual 

summit hosted by French President Emanuel Macron; 

Whereas the United States, through the United States Agency for International Development, announced on August 

7, 2020, that it would provide more than $15,000,000 in 

humanitarian assistance to aid the people of Lebanon following the explosions at the Port of Beirut, and that 

these funds would support life-saving medical responses 

and relief for the immediate needs of people facing this 

tragedy, including food aid for 50,000 people for three 

months and medical and pharmaceutical support for up 

to 60,000 people for three months; and 

Whereas a stable Lebanon with a credible, transparent government free from Iranian and Hezbollah interference is 

in the broader national security interests of the United 


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States and United States partners and allies: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) extends its heartfelt condolences to, and 

3 stands with, the people of Lebanon; 

4 (2) supports United States Government efforts 

5 to provide emergency humanitarian relief in concert 

6 with other governments and international partners; 

7 (3) affirms that United States assistance, led 

8 by the United States Agency for International De9 velopment, should be delivered directly to the Leba10 nese people through properly vetted channels, orga11 nizations, and individuals; 

12 (4) calls on the Government of Lebanon to con13 duct a credible, impartial, and transparent investiga14 tion into the cause of, and responsibility for, the ex15 plosion, and include impartial international experts 

16 as part of the investigation team; 

17 (5) calls on the investigation team to evaluate 

18 and determine the root causes of instability and eco19 nomic mismanagement that have impacted the peo20 ple of Lebanon; and 

21 (6) further calls on the Government of Lebanon 

22 to restore faith and confidence by prioritizing poliVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:33 Aug 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR682.IS SR682

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1 cies and programs that advance the interests of the 

2 people of Lebanon. 

Æ 


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