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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that “justice is on the way,” five years following a devastating explosion at Beirut port for which no one has been held responsible.
The explosion on August 4, 2020, ranks among the largest non-nuclear blasts globally, causing extensive damage across parts of the Lebanese capital, resulting in over 220 deaths and more than 6,500 injuries.
The Beirut disaster occurred due to a fire in a warehouse where large quantities of ammonium nitrate fertiliser had been improperly stored for years after arriving by sea, despite numerous warnings to high-ranking officials.
Aoun stressed that the Lebanese state “is dedicated to uncovering the entire truth, regardless of the challenges or the rank of those involved.”
“The law applies to all, without exception,” Aoun said in a statement.
Monday has been designated as a day of national mourning, with rallies demanding justice planned later in the day at the port.
After a more than two-year deadlock caused by political and judicial interference, investigating judge Tarek Bitar has completed his questioning of defendants and suspects. Among those questioned were former prime minister Hassan Diab, as well as military and security officials, while several former ministers failed to attend their questioning, the source noted.
Bitar is awaiting the completion of certain procedures and responses to requests made last month to various Arab and European nations for “information on specific incidents,” the source added, without providing further details.
The judge will then conclude the investigation and submit the case to the public prosecution for its opinion before he proceeds to issue an indictment, the source indicated.
The investigation encountered delays after Iran-backed group, Hezbollah, which has long been a powerful element in Lebanese politics but has been diminished by the recent conflict, accused Bitar of bias and called for his removal, along with a series of lawsuits filed by officials implicated in the investigation that sought to impede its progress.
Both the US and British embassies in Lebanon called for accountability in statements on X, while the European Union recently acknowledged steps “that have allowed for progress in the investigation,” highlighting that “ending impunity is vital for Lebanon’s recovery.”
On Sunday, Culture Minister Ghassan Salame announced that the port’s damaged and partially collapsed wheat silos would be added to a list of historic buildings.
Families of the victims have consistently called for their preservation as a memorial to the tragedy.
