Two groups mourning the victims of the deadly Beirut blast on Thursday held rival vigils for those lost in the explosion for the first time in 15 months after the judge investigating the incident was temporarily suspended from the case.
The temporary suspension comes after a month-long, Hezbollah-led campaign to remove the investigating judge.
Hezbollah accused the judge of bias because he summoned politicians that are close to the group.
About 50 people gathered on the motorway near the port in support of judge Tarek Bitar. At the entrance of the port, about 20 people, mostly Shiite family members of victims who broke away from the main group last month, sided with Hezbollah against Mr Bitar.
“Judge Bitar was the last hope for this case in local courts,” said Paul Naggear, whose daughter, Alexandra, died in the explosion last year.
“It’s going to be very tough now.”
Every fourth of the month for the past 14 months, the families of the Beirut blast victims have held a vigil near the port to commemorate their relatives and demand accountability and justice.
But for the first time in 15 months, the families held two rival vigils a few hundred metres away from one another.
The rival commemorations are a reflection of how divided Lebanese society has become over the investigation, especially after Hezbollah began a campaign to remove the lead investigative judge.
Last month, Hezbollah supporters took to the streets of Beirut to demonstrate against Mr Bitar. The protest turned deadly when unknown gunmen killed seven people, all of them supporters of Hezbollah or its ally Amal.
The former spokesman for the families of the victims, Ibrahim Hoteit, broke away from the group shortly after the clashes, siding with Hezbollah and retracting his prior statements in favour of Mr Bitar.
The divisions follow sectarian lines. Most Lebanese political parties represent one of the country's three main sects: Christians, Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims.
The group led by Mr Hoteit is mostly Shiite and follows Hezbollah's line on the judge, while the rest of the families are from mixed backgrounds.
Mr Hoteit denies having been threatened to change his position.
“Families from certain sects decided to just leave the group and do the monthly commemoration somewhere else,” he said at the entrance of the port.
“Our only disagreement is very minor; it’s about our position on the judge and it didn’t require all this fuss.”
Families of the victims from the main group have expressed concern that the Shiite families who broke away had been coerced by Iran-backed Hezbollah and Amal.
“We have a relative of a victim who is himself a victim of this government,” Mr Naggear's wife, Tracy, said of Mr Hoteit. She added that it was unfortunate that the families were now divided in two groups.
“I really doubt that this guy could be against judge Bitar with everything he’s done for us,” she said.
“This judge was there for us from day one so now we are there for him as well.”
Mr Bitar united the Lebanese political establishment against him when he summoned powerful politicians, mostly aligned with Hezbollah, to appear before him in the investigation into the Beirut blast.
The explosion killed more than 215 people, injured more than 6,500 and destroyed large parts of the Lebanese capital.
More than a year after the blast, no one has been held to account as powerful current and former officials have repeatedly blocked the case.
Mr Bitar’s predecessor was removed in February after a former minister he had summoned requested his removal.
And now Mr Bitar may face the same fate.
The Court of Appeals accepted to study a request to remove Mr Bitar filed by former minister Yousef Fenianos, who is under investigation for his role in the blast. He failed to appear for his interrogation.
The probe has been suspended while they study a request to remove the judge, which could take months.
Aya Majzoub of Human Rights Watch said on Twitter that the decision was “akin to a death sentence for the Beirut blast probe".
The view from The National
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UAE v Gibraltar
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Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
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