FBI will join Beirut blast probe, US diplomat says in Lebanon

The FBI will join Lebanese and international investigators in a probe into last week’s massive Beirut explosion that killed at least 172 people, a senior US diplomat said on Thursday.

US Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale said in Beirut this was at the invitation of Lebanese authorities, Reuters reports.

The high-ranking US diplomat headed to Lebanon to stress the “urgent need” for the country to embrace fundamental reform, the State Department said. The visit comes in the aftermath of a blast that caused large-scale damage in the capital, Beirut.