Lebanon commemorates Beirut port blast amid war fears

Photo: Anwar Amro Agence France-Presse On August 4, 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history devastated entire neighborhoods of Beirut, killing more than 220 people and injuring more than 6,500.

Agence France-Presse in Beirut

Published at 1:01 p.m.

• Middle East

Hundreds of Lebanese commemorated the fourth anniversary of the deadly Beirut port explosion that plunged the capital into mourning on Sunday, as the country fears an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Waving portraits of the victims, protesters gathered in front of the port, denouncing the obstruction of the investigation due to political pressure and demanding accountability for those responsible.

On August 4, 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history devastated entire neighborhoods of the capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring more than 6,500.

The victims’ relatives, who have formed a collective that tirelessly fights for justice, marched at the head of the march.

“I am one of the victims of the explosion,” said Viviane Haddad, one of the protesters injured in the blast. “Four years have passed and the criminals have not been arrested. Where is the justice ? »

“We want to know who caused the explosion […] Who took our children, our mothers, our young people,” says Sonia Audeh, a 53-year-old mother.

The explosion was caused by a fire in a warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate were being stored carelessly, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.

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“The complete lack of accountability for such a man-made catastrophe is astonishing,” the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said in a statement.

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For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron, who had visited Beirut in the wake of the explosion, reiterated on Sunday France’s “unwavering commitment” to Lebanon, recalling its “demand for justice for all victims.”

“Fulfill their duty”

At 6:07 p.m., the exact time of the explosion, protesters observed a minute of silence, as the sirens of boats in Beirut harbor and ambulances sounded.

In a speech, Cécile Roukoz, one of the lawyers for the victims’ families, who lost her brother in the explosion, listed the names of the political and security officials who had obstructed the investigation, calling on judges to “do their duty.”

For his part, William Noun, who lost his brother, a leading figure in the collective of relatives of the victims, accused the powerful Hezbollah in his speech of obstructing the investigation and of having threatened the judge in charge of it.

A first judge in charge of the investigation in 2020 had to throw in the towel after indicting a former prime minister and three former ministers.

His successor, Tarek Bitar, in turn attacked political leaders but Parliament refused to lift the immunity of indicted deputies, the Interior Ministry opposed the questioning of senior officers, and the security forces refused to execute arrest warrants.

Forced to suspend his investigation for 13 months, he was prosecuted for insubordination by the attorney general when he took it over after indicting several high-ranking figures.

A judicial official, speaking on condition of anonymity, announced to AFP that Mr. Bitar would resume the investigation “next week”, the attorney general having retired and been replaced.

Official silence

The main Lebanese officials did not comment on the anniversary of the tragedy, while the country fears a regional conflagration between Iran and Israel in which it would be at the forefront.

Calls for foreign nationals to leave Lebanon have multiplied Sunday as airlines suspended flights.

Iran, Palestinian Hamas and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah blamed Israel for the deaths Wednesday in Tehran of the leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement, Ismaïl Haniyeh.

The death of the Palestinian leader came a few hours after a strike claimed by Israel which killed the military leader of Hezbollah, Fouad Chokr, Tuesday evening near Beirut.

The guide Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei threatened Israel with “severe punishment,” Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned of an “open battle on all fronts.”

The war in Gaza resulted in the opening of the southern Lebanese front with Israel by Hezbollah, which is part of what Iran calls the “axis of resistance” against Israel.