President Donald Trump said US military generals have told him that they “seem to feel” the massive explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday, killing at least 70 people, was a “terrible attack” likely caused by a bomb.

Trump was asked why he called it an attack and not an accident, especially since Lebanese officials say they have not determined the cause of the explosion.

He told reporters at the White House: “It would seem like it based on the explosion.

“I met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that it was. This was not a — some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of a event. ... They seem to think it was a attack. It was a bomb of some kind, yes.”

Trump offered condolences to the victims and said the US stood ready to assist Lebanon.

A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on the matter on Tuesday night, referring questions back to the White House. The explosion flattened much of a port and damaged buildings across the capital, sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. In addition to those who died, more than 3,000 other people were injured.

The cause of the blast was not immediately known, but initial reports suggested a fire had detonated a warehouse at the port.