Authorities will need to deal cautiously with "dangerous chemical material" that has been stored in southern Lebanon for decades, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Friday.
The comments came during a meeting with the Higher Defence Council, a government body headed by President Michel Aoun.
Mr Aoun has said the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission will be "taking the necessary steps" to deal with the material, stored in the Zahrani Oil Facilities since the 1950s, as well as radioactive waste stocked in the commission's offices since the 1970s.
Mr Diab said the material at Zahrani was identified as "high-quality nuclear chemicals" by the commission and German company Combi Lift, which the government had put in charge of disposing of dangerous chemicals after the deadly explosion at Beirut port last August.
The news caused outrage across the country, as it reminded Lebanese of the chemicals that caused the Beirut port blast. A presidential representative told The National, however, that the chemicals were not a safety hazard.
"The material at Zahrani is used for research and has been stored there since the 1950s. It does not pose any danger," the representative said.
A communique from the General Directorate for Oil indicated that there is only 1.2 kilogrammes of nuclear material, that it is used for research purposes only and that "there is no need for fear or concern".
"It will be transported in a special car on Monday to the offices of the National Council for Scientific Research," the statement read.
The unsafe storage for six years of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, an explosive material also used as fertiliser, was the cause of the Beirut port explosion, which killed more than 200 people and destroyed half of the city. The investigation into the explosion at the port has yet to yield results.
Combi Lift declined to comment on the report.
The company had identified 58 containers at the port containing hazardous material after the blast but the cash-strapped Lebanese government has yet to pay the $2 million for the company to ship the chemicals to Germany for treatment.
Mr Diab has been acting in a caretaker capacity after resigning from his post in the aftermath of the explosion. Wrangling over ministerial posts between Lebanon's sectarian political factions has stalled government formation for eight months.
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4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Emblem Storm, Oisin Murphy (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
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International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
RESULT
Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')
Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
RESULT
Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The biog
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Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
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EXPATS
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