Overview
- Families gathered at the Port of Beirut on Tuesday to mark the sixth anniversary of the 4 August 2020 explosion and to demand arrests after the blast killed more than 220 people and wounded roughly 6,500.
- Judge Tarek Bitar closed his criminal inquiry in March and transmitted the case file to the Public Prosecutor, a step that allows the prosecutor to recommend formal charges to the judge.
- Justice Minister Adel Nassar said the prosecutor is preparing requisitions and should return conclusions to the judge within 60 to 90 days, a move that could open the way to indictments but not immediate detentions.
- Investigators say a fire ignited tons of ammonium nitrate stored without safety measures at the port despite repeated warnings, and roughly 70 officials, security figures, military officers and civil servants were questioned during the probe.
- The case has been slowed by political interference in the past, including a 2023 suspension of Bitar’s work and opposition from Hezbollah, and advocates say the next steps will show whether Lebanon’s courts can overcome political pressure to deliver accountability.