Sixth Anniversary of the Beirut Port Explosion: Calls for Accountability and a Weakened Hezbollah

The people of Beirut are marking the sixth anniversary of the port explosion with mixed emotions, as calls for the start of legal proceedings continue to grow after the judicial process overcame numerous obstacles.

For the past six years, the families of the victims of the Beirut port explosion have awaited justice capable of easing the pain caused by the loss of their loved ones on August 4, 2020, when a massive blast killed 230 people and injured more than 5,000 others.

On the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the tragedy, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated that the issuance of the indictment had become « a necessity that can no longer tolerate further delays ». He called on the judiciary to « deliver justice to the victims », emphasizing that « justice does not mean revenge; rather, it means establishing the truth in full and holding accountable everyone who was negligent, failed in their duties, or contributed to this catastrophe, regardless of their position or status ».

He stressed that « the Lebanese judiciary is now more than ever required to demonstrate its independence and its ability to deliver justice to the victims », adding that « the indictment is not merely a legal procedure, but a right owed to the martyrs and to their families, who have waited for years to learn the complete truth and find peace ».

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri wrote on his account on the social media platform X: « Six years later, the echo of the explosion still resonates in our memory, while one question remains suspended over Beirut: who caused the Beirut port explosion? Who will deliver justice? When will accountability begin so that the truth can finally emerge? »

He added: « The time has come for the indictment to be issued and for the trial to begin. »

Judicial developments

Investigating judge Tarek Bitar concluded his investigation at the end of last March, according to a judicial source cited at the time by Agence France-Presse, after filing charges against approximately seventy individuals, including politicians, security officials, military commanders, and civil servants.

The case file was then referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Cassation, which is responsible for reviewing it, issuing its opinion, and returning it to the investigating judge in preparation for the issuance of the indictment.

Since then, the file has remained in the hands of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

According to local reports, prosecutors are still reviewing the case, which contains thousands of pages of interrogations, witness statements, official documents, technical reports, and evidence.

These recent judicial developments come after years of attempts by Hezbollah and the Amal Movement to obstruct the investigation by accusing the judge in charge, Tarek Bitar, of politicizing the case and violating legal and judicial procedures.

Hezbollah moved to block the investigation after the judge issued an arrest warrant against member of parliament and former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil, who belongs to the Amal Movement, as well as several other lawmakers and officials. However, President Joseph Aoun’s rise to power and the setbacks suffered by Hezbollah have weakened the group’s ability to influence the case.

From the very beginning, Lebanese authorities attributed the explosion—which killed more than 220 people and injured over 6,500 others—to the storage of massive quantities of ammonium nitrate in the port without proper safety measures, following a fire of unknown origin.

It later emerged that officials at various levels had been aware of the dangers posed by the storage of the material but had failed to take any action.