Lebanese cedar shines on Sydney Opera House

A Lebanese cedar shone brightly on the Sydney Opera House, in a symbol of solidarity with the people of Beirut.

A Lebanese cedar is projected onto the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday night. Picture: Seven News

A Lebanese cedar shone brightly on the Sydney Opera House, in a symbol of solidarity with the people of Beirut.

On Tuesday night, one week after a horrific explosion destroyed the city’s port and ripped through nearby areas, a green cedar was projected onto the tallest sail of the iconic Opera House, as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian took to social media to express her condolences.

“From NSW to Lebanon with love. A week after the horrific blast you continue to be in our thoughts and prayers,” Ms Berejiklian said.

From NSW to Lebanon with love. A week after the horrific blast you continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/QmvriTnBa8

— Gladys Berejiklian (@GladysB) August 11, 2020

With the death toll from the blast rising to 200, including a two-year-old Australian boy, and up to another 6000 wounded, the shocking incident has rocked the Middle Eastern country, which was already on the brink of economic collapse.

The catastrophic explosion has toppled Lebanon’s government, with more than a third of government ministers quitting their position, forcing prime minister Hassan Diab himself to resign.

Public anger has reached boiling point since the disaster, with locals furious at the decision to keep a stockpile of close to 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at the port and store it with combustible substances.