Pentagon chief contradicts Trump, says Beirut blast was 'accident'
US defence secretary Mark Esper said the Beirut blast was an "accident", contradicting a claim made by President Donald Trump that the blast as an "attack".
"Most believe that it was an accident, as reported. And beyond that, I have nothing further report on. It's obviously a tragedy," Esper said during a virtual interview at Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday.
The Pentagon chief added that Washington has reached out to the Lebanese government to offer assistance, including humanitarian and medical aid.
"We're positioning ourselves to provide them whatever assistance we can, humanitarian and medical supplies... It's the right thing to do," he said.
Three other US defence officials told CNN that there was no indication that the incident was an attack, and said they were unsure where the president got that information.