5 YEARS AFTER BEIRUT PORT BLAST, LEBANON’S PRESIDENT VOWS JUSTICE ‘WITHOUT EXCEPTIONS’

Mon 04 August 2025:

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun vowed Monday to apply justice as he marked the 5th anniversary of the Beirut port explosion.

In a statement shared by the Lebanese presidency on X, Aoun described the Aug. 4, 2020 blast – one of the world’s most powerful non-nuclear explosions – as “a major crime that shook the conscience of the nation and the world, claiming the lives of more than 200 martyrs, injuring thousands of innocent people, and destroying entire neighborhoods of our beloved capital.”

“The Lebanese state, with all its institutions, is committed to uncovering the whole truth regardless of obstacles or the rank of those involved,” Aoun said.

“Justice will not die, and accountability is inevitable.”

The Lebanese president emphasized that holding those responsible for the disaster remains a top national priority.

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“We will continue to press all competent authorities to ensure transparent and fair investigations that bring perpetrators to justice.”

The US Embassy in Beirut also weighed in on the anniversary, voicing support for the Lebanese people’s demand for accountability.

It stressed that Lebanon “deserves an independent and impartial judicial system that delivers justice for the victims, not protections for the elites,” and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to “a sovereign, stable, and prosperous Lebanon shaped by its people— not outside forces.”

The explosion killed more than 220 people, injured over 7,000, and caused massive destruction across Beirut, which continues to struggle under a severe economic crisis.

According to official estimates, the blast occurred in Warehouse 12, which contained about 2,750 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate confiscated from a ship and stored there since 2014.

The blast, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, was caused by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, stored unsafely in a warehouse for six years after being seized from the MV Rhosus in 2013.

A fire, likely sparked by welding near stored fireworks, triggered the detonation, devastating the city and causing $15 billion in damage.

Preliminary investigations found that the explosion was caused by ammonium nitrate stored at Beirut port in improper conditions for six years.

They also found that many top officials, including then-President Michel Aoun, had been informed of the ammonium nitrate’s presence, but chose not to act.

Judge Fadi Sawan was chosen to lead the full investigation in August 2020, but found himself sidelined after calling some notable politicians for questioning. Two ministers he charged with negligence asked that the case be transferred to another judge.

A court decision, seen by Reuters, claimed that because Sawan’s house had been damaged in the blast, he would not be impartial.

Replacing him in February 2021 was Judge Tarek Bitar. Like Sawan, Judge Bitar called major political figures in for questioning and later issued arrest warrants for them. Among them are Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeiter, close allies of Lebanon’s Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who still refuse to respond to Judge Bitar’s requests and claim they have parliamentary immunity.

Despite much popular support, many of Judge Bitar’s efforts were impeded, with Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces at times refusing to execute warrants and the former Court of Cassation public prosecutor, Ghassan Oueidat, ordering his investigation halted.

Hezbollah connection?

No definitive evidence confirms Hezbollah’s direct involvement, but speculation persists due to their influence in Lebanon. Some reports suggest the ammonium nitrate, linked to Iranian shipments via the IRGC’s Unit 190, was intended for Hezbollah’s use, possibly for explosives.

Hezbollah denies this, and official investigations point to mismanagement and corruption at the port, where political factions, including Hezbollah allies, held sway. The group’s opposition to the investigation, led by Judge Tarek Bitar, and their allies’ legal challenges have fueled suspicions, though they claim the probe is politicized.

The investigation remains stalled, with no senior officials held accountable.

The last few years have been a turbulent period of myriad crises for Lebanon.

A banking collapse robbed many people of their savings and left the country in a historic economic crisis. Amid that and the COVID-19 pandemic came the blast, and international organisations and experts hold the Lebanese political establishment responsible.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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