Trump and Macron discuss immediate aid to Lebanon, White House says

U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday discussed working together with other countries to send immediate aid to Lebanon, the White House said.

U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday discussed working together with other countries to send immediate aid to Lebanon, the White House said. The two leaders spoke by phone and "expressed their deep sadness over the loss of life and devastation in Beirut," , White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

Tuesday's massive explosion in Beirut's port killed 154 people, injured 5,000 and smashed a swathe of the city. France and other countries around the world have rushed emergency aid to Lebanon, including doctors, and tons of health equipment and food. The United States has not provided any aid thus far.

Trump said this week Washington stood ready to help, but no details of any U.S. aid package have been released. On Thursday, Macron visited Beirut and assured angry crowds that aid to rebuild the city would not go to "corrupt hands".

The cause of the blast remains under investigation. Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Friday said the probe would examine whether it was caused by a bomb, a prospect first raised publicly by Trump on Tuesday, hours after the blast.

Asked about the issue again on Wednesday, Trump said nobody could say for certain whether the explosion could have been caused by an attack.