Lebanon's new political elite revives Beirut blast probe but hurdles still lie ahead

It is nearly five years since one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history ripped through Beirut, killing more than 200 people and wreaking carnage. The city still has visible wounds today – the shattered grain silo that helped shield the Lebanese capital sits on the Beirut waterfront as a morbid reminder of the tragedy.

The domestic investigation has been repeatedly impeded and undermined in a country where the judiciary has long dealt with political interference.

The lead investigative judge Tarek Bitar, who has charged and sought to interrogate some of Lebanon's most powerful figures at the time of the blast in August 2020, has had to navigate potholes more difficult than the country's dilapidated roads.

He has been reportedly threatened by Hezbollah, stripped of his ability to do his job by his own boss, and faced a litany of legal challenges by the top officials he sought to question. Hassan Nasrallah, the late leader of the Iran-backed group, also accused Mr Bitar of bias.

Almost five years on, there now finally appears to be progress – but the road ahead remains long and full of challenges, despite Mr Bitar formally reopening the investigation in January.

Those top officials who resisted interrogation have been questioned in recent weeks, while powers stripped from Mr Bitar have been reinstalled by Lebanon's top prosecutor. A rejuvenated judiciary and the cabinet's approval of a draft law that would ensure judicial independence would be the icing on the cake.

A senior official said: “Without a proper investigation regarding the port blast, we will not be in a position to say we are building a state, because a state that is not capable to conduct an investigation in relation to a huge event with so many humanitarian impacts, is not a country which can pretend that it defends the rule of law.”

Hope is a fleeting word for families of the victims, who despite the uphill task for justice continue to hold monthly vigils for their loved ones.

“Things are getting better now with the investigation,” said Mariana Foudalian, whose 29-year-old sister Gaia was killed in the explosion. But she cautioned that “we still have [a long] way to go,” referring to the flurry of legal complaints issued against Mr Bitar that had previously held up the case.

“Nothing is easy, it's been years that we've been working on it,” she said. “People ask us if we have hope and always our answer is that we can't say that we have hope by sitting at home and not working on justice in a country like Lebanon. So we have to always push hard,” she said.

The arrival in January of a new president, prime minister and government has largely been seen viewed as a catalyst for the investigation.

Both President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, the former top judge at the International Court of Justice, have made it clear that independence of the judiciary is paramount.

A senior government official and families of the victims highlight the change in the justice minister, who emboldened Mr Bitar to carry out his work.

“It seems the prosecutor is satisfied with the conditions under which he can act,” the official said.

Push for justice

It is understood that the new government made it clear to Mr Bitar that they will ensure his ability to conduct his investigation without political obstructions or interference.

The senior government source pointed to those now sought for questioning who had previously refused to attend hearings. They also highlighted how a French judicial delegation, which was on the ground two weeks after the blast, was allowed to share its findings with Mr Bitar once the investigation resumed.

The contents of the French findings are not known, but it is hoped the exchange of information between judicial officials will support the case.

“It's very important that the investigations go to the end,” the Lebanese government official said. “We are here to support the judges in their work and give them all the means they need to conduct their investigation to the end.

“But we are aware that there will be no confidence from the population [in] the state or judiciary if this investigation is not completed.”

Rights groups and families of the victims welcomed a decision earlier this year by Lebanon’s Interim Public Prosecutor Jamal Hajjar to reverse a ruling by his predecessor that stopped security forces and the prosecution office from working with Mr Bitar.

He had reopened the case in the days after Lebanon's new leaders came to power – and two years after it had previously stalled.

Mr Bitar summoned 12 officials from the port authority, army, security branch and customs for questioning. Previously he had sought to question security chiefs and ministers.

In recent weeks, leading officials such as Maj Gen Abbas Ibrahim, who was head of general security from 2011-2023, and Hassan Diab, who was prime minister at the time of the blast, have appeared for the first time in front of Mr Bitar.

Mr Diab has previously refused to attend hearings, arguing Mr Bitar lacked the jurisdiction to try the case, while Maj Gen Ibrahim has fielded lawsuits against the judge. Maj Gen Ibrahim's office said he attended the hearings out of respect for Lebanon's judiciary and families of the victims.

Mr Bitar had sought to restart the probe last September – before the new government was elected – but this was delayed because of Israel's war on Lebanon.

“It's been five years and we are still working and continue until we get there and get justice. And we need complete justice, not half of the justice,” said Ms Foudalian.

“We know that we have a long way still but things are better and we hope that after the new judiciary elections things will also be better. We hope that we won't get obstructions like before,” she added.