Beirut port blast: Lebanon president urges indictment

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged the judiciary Monday to issue a long-awaited indictment over the 2020 Beirut port blast, on the eve of the disaster's sixth anniversary.

Aoun said the indictment by the investigating judge had become “a necessity that can no longer be delayed”. He said justice meant revealing the full truth and holding accountable anyone who was negligent or caused the catastrophe, whatever their position.

The August 4, 2020 explosion killed more than 220 people, injured more than 6,500 and damaged large areas of Beirut.

Lebanese authorities have said the blast was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser had been stored haphazardly for years despite repeated warnings to senior officials.

No one has been held accountable. Victims and their families have continued to demand justice.

A judicial official said in March that investigating judge Tarek Bitar had completed his probe involving about 70 defendants, including politicians, security and military officials and civil servants. The case was sent to the public prosecutor for review before being returned to Bitar for the indictment.

The case remains with the public prosecutor. It had been bogged down by political and legal disputes since 2023, after Hezbollah led a campaign demanding Bitar's removal and lawsuits also sought to remove him from the case.

Bitar resumed his investigation last year after Lebanon's balance of power shifted and Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam took office following the 2023-2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah, which weakened the group.

Salam said there could be no settlement at the expense of justice and vowed “no cover for any official” in the Beirut port explosion case.