Beirut, Aug 5 (AP) The U.S. Embassy in Beirut says at least one American citizen was killed and several more were injured in Tuesday's massive explosion in Beirut's port.

“We offer our sincerest condolences to their loved ones and are working to provide the affected U.S. citizens and their families all possible consular assistance. We are working closely with local authorities to determine if any additional U.S. citizens were affected," the embassy said in a statement Wednesday.

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The embassy says all of its employees are safe and accounted for.

The World Food Program says it is quickly assessing the situation in Lebanon to be ready to provide emergency support for those who were left “homeless overnight, lost loved ones, were injured or anyone who needs assistance in these difficult times.”

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The U.N. humanitarian organization said in a statement Wednesday from its Rome headquarters that the explosion and port damage “will exacerbate the grim economic and food security situation” in Lebanon, noting that the country's economic crisis was already being compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also expressed concern that the damage to Beirut's port “would push food prices beyond the reach of many.”

The organisation cited a recent World Food Program survey that found that 50% of Lebanese saying over the past month they “felt worried they would not have enough food to eat.”

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro extended his condolences to Lebanon at an event on Wednesday and highlighted that the South American nation is home to millions of Lebanese people. He added his administration intended to provide aid, without specifying how.

“Brazil will do more than a gesture. Something concrete to attend, in part, to those tens of thousands of people who are in a rather complicated situation because, in addition to injuries, many homes were hit,” Bolsonaro said.

On Tuesday, he said on Twitter that because Brazil is home to the world's largest Lebanese population, the tragedy feels as though it happened on Brazilian soil.

Brazil already has a ship on a peace mission in Lebanon. The defense ministry previously said it would remove the vessel by the end of this year, citing budgetary restrictions.

The Lebanese consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, said in a statement it is in the process of asking local authorities to provide assistance. All fundraising must be “swift and transparent,” it said.

The Tel Aviv municipality has lit up City Hall with the Lebanese flag in solidarity with the people of Beirut after Tuesday's devastating explosion, drawing an outcry from some in Israel.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai wrote on Twitter earlier on Wednesday that “humanity takes precedence over every conflict, and our hearts are with the Lebanese people following the horrible disaster that befell it.”

Israel and Lebanon are officially in a state of war and do not have diplomatic relations. Israel fought a monthlong war in 2006 against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and the sides remain bitter enemies.

Current and former lawmakers criticized the decision to project the Lebanese flag.

Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister's son, also lashed out against the decision on Twitter, calling it “simply insane. Lebanon is officially an enemy state. By law, it is a criminal offense to fly an enemy flag.” No such law exists in the Israeli legal code.

Britain is promising a 5-million-pound ($6.6 million) humanitarian support package for Lebanon following Tuesday's devastating explosion in Beirut.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Wednesday that search and rescue teams and expert medical support are ready to be sent. He added that a Royal Navy ship already in the area can also be deployed to help assess the damage to Beirut's port.

Raab said he spoke Wednesday to Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who he said promised a “full, thorough and rigorous” investigation into the blast, and accountability for those responsible.

A U.N.-backed tribunal has postponed the delivery of judgments in the trial of four members of the militant group Hezbollah charged with involvement in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

The move was a mark of respect to victims of the devastating explosion that rocked Beirut late Tuesday.

The verdicts were to have been read out in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's courtroom in the Netherlands on Friday, but will now be delivered on Aug. 18.

In a statement, the tribunal says the decision to delay Friday's court hearing was made “out of respect for the countless victims of the devastating explosion that shook Beirut on Aug. 4” and the three days of public mourning announced in Lebanon.

The court has expressed “its solidarity with the Lebanese people in these difficult times.” (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)