Monday marked the fifth anniversary of the Beirut Blast, the incredibly powerful explosion that devastated the Port of Beirut and killed over 220 people on August 4, 2020.
Lebanon’s dysfunctional government has yet to hold anyone accountable for the detonation, but President Joseph Aoun promised on Monday to “bring all those responsible to justice, regardless of their status.”
Investigations into the explosion, which was caused by almost 3,000 metric tons of ammonium nitrate that was improperly stored at the port, have long been thwarted by bureaucratic inertia and threats of violence against the investigators. The ammonium nitrate lay neglected at the port for almost six years before it exploded. Almost as much time has passed since then and no one has been charged with a crime.
Many reports have suggested, though none have proven, that the explosives belonged to the terrorist group Hezbollah, which is also among the most powerful political parties in Lebanon, and Hezbollah has no intention of complying with investigators or facing justice.
“The Lebanese state and its entire institutions are committed to uncover the full truth no matter the hurdles or ranks of those involved. Justice makes no exceptions, and the law applies to everyone without discrimination,” President Aoun said in his remarks on the anniversary of the explosion.
Aoun called the explosion a “heinous” crime that “shook the conscience of the nation and the world, wounded thousands of innocent people, and devastated entire neighborhoods of our beloved capital.”
“The blood of your loved ones will not be in vain,” Aoun promised the families of the victims. “Justice is coming. Accountability is coming.”
Hundreds marched in Beirut on Monday to demand justice, including survivors of the blast and the families of those who died. Portraits of the victims were displayed by their relatives, while the names of the dead were displayed on a video screen.
Some of the participants lamented that the procession was not larger, fearing that too many Lebanese have given up hope that justice will ever be served. There were large and angry demonstrations in 2021, when the first investigation of the blast was sabotaged by public officials. Four years later, the number of Lebanese who see any point in marching for justice is smaller.
“All of Lebanon should be there! Without solidarity, the country will not move forward. Without solidarity, we will not have justice. Everyone has been affected, even if we don’t know the victims, we must show our support,” two young marchers told L’Orient Today.
“What hurts me is that fewer and fewer people are mobilized. I want to tell them not to lose hope. I owe it to my father to continue campaigning for the truth,” said another, mourning the loss of her father in the 2020 explosion.
“Can someone tell me why five years on we’re still standing here? If everyone stands with this cause, then who’s against us?” said the angry brother of a firefighter who died in the explosion.
Numerous government ministers joined in the procession — including members of Hezbollah, who insisted they were as committed to the “quest for truth” as anyone, and denied they were obstructing the investigation.
Within a year of the explosion, outside investigators had uncovered copious evidence of official misconduct. Human Rights Watch (HRW), for example, produced a report called They Killed Us From the Inside that was stuffed with evidence of “longstanding corruption and mismanagement at the port.”
“The evidence overwhelmingly shows that the August 2020 explosion in Beirut’s port was caused by the actions and omissions of senior Lebanese officials who failed to accurately communicate the dangers posed by the ammonium nitrate, knowingly stored the material in unsafe conditions, and failed to protect the public,” HRW said.
Several of the officials summoned by Bitar’s court simply refused to appear, claiming they had some sort of “parliamentary immunity” from being investigated. When Bitar issued warrants for the arrest of uncooperative suspects, the Lebanese internal security service refused to execute them.
Some dispirited Lebanese are hoping that Aoun, who ended a two-year vacancy in the presidential office when he was appointed by the legislature in January 2025, will expand efforts for justice. Aoun is a tough military commander who successfully navigated some very turbulent waters during the recent battle between Hezbollah and Israel. He came to office promising to restore the rule of law, end political interference with the judiciary, and crack down on corruption.
France24 reported on Monday that long-sitting lead judge Tarek Bitar, whose inquiry has been halted three times over the years by political interference, has finally “finished questioning defendants and suspects.”
According to an unnamed judicial official, Bitar is “waiting for some procedures to be completed” and for some requested information to be provided by “several Arab and European countries,” before he finalizes his investigation and issues indictments.
Bitar’s probe had effectively sputtered to a halt last year due to interference from Hezbollah, which constantly demanded his removal from the investigation. The investigation came back to life after Hezbollah was badly weakened by its fight with Israel and Aoun took office.
Culture Minister Ghassan Salame announced on Sunday that the partially destroyed wheat silos at the port of Beirut would be declared “historic sites” and preserved as a memorial of the explosion, a move long requested by the families of the victims. Some optimistic observers took this as a sign that Aoun would keep his promise to find justice for the dead.
Others were not inclined to accept symbolic gestures after years of frustration. Amnesty International (AI) said on Monday that Bitar’s investigation “has yet to yield conclusive results” after being revived by the Aoun administration in February.
“It is imperative for this inquiry to thoroughly establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the explosion, encompassing the full chain of responsibility — whether domestic or international — and determining whether any criminal acts or human rights violations occurred due to the state’s failure to protect lives,” AI said.
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