Beirut blast probe faces further obstruction from political elite, Hizbullah

BEIRUT -- Two and a half years after the devastating 2020 Beirut port blast killed 218 people, the Lebanese investigation into the incident still faces systematic and blatant political obstruction as it has from day one.

On Wednesday (January 25), Lebanese prosecutor general Ghassan Oweidat ordered all suspects detained in the investigation released, in another blow to the investigation.

He also charged the blast's investigative judge, Tarek al-Bitar, with "rebelling against the judiciary" and slapped him with a travel ban, AFP reported.

The move came after al-Bitar on Monday resumed the investigation into the port blast, following a 13-month halt over legal challenges raised by politicians accused in the probe on charges of negligence -- including Oweidat -- and by the Iran-backed Hizbullah, which has called for him to step down.

On Monday, al-Bitar ordered the release of five of 17 detainees in the case and charged eight more figures, among them top intelligence officials Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim and Maj. Gen. Tony Saliba, as well as Oweidat.

He charged them with "homicide, arson and sabotage".

One of history's biggest non-nuclear explosions, the August 4, 2020, blast destroyed much of Beirut port and surrounding areas, killing 218 people and injuring over 6,500.

The blast was caused by a fire in a warehouse where a vast stockpile of the industrial chemical ammonium nitrate had been haphazardly stored for years, authorities said.

A judicial official had previously told AFP that Oweidat had in 2019 overseen a security services investigation into cracks in the warehouse where the ammonium nitrate was stored.

Hizbullah, Amal obstruct investigation

In February 2021, al-Bitar's predecessor as lead judge was removed from the case after he had charged several high-level politicians.

Most families of the blast's victims have endorsed al-Bitar and called on authorities to allow for a thorough and unobstructed investigation.

They have been holding monthly vigils ever since the disaster, seeking justice and accountability.

On Thursday, dozens of family members of the victims gathered "to support the investigation" led by al-Bitar, some carrying posters of those who died, AFP reported.

"We had faith in justice, but the mask has now fallen," said protester Abdo Matta, 54, who lost his son in the explosion.

"We will never stop, we want to know who killed our children."

William Noun, who lost his brother Joe in the blast, told Al-Mashareq last year that the victims' families demand justice and plan to expose those who are obstructing the investigation.

Families have learned that Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the Amal movement, have attempted to obstruct the investigation by filing claims against al-Bitar, Noun said.

Their protection of the accused politicians and their attempts to go after the judicial investigator confirm their involvement, he said.

Hizbullah and its ally Amal called for demonstrations to demand al-Bitar's dismissal in October 2021, when a gun battle broke out at a Beirut rally and seven people were killed.

Al-Bitar's resumption of the investigation will expose the corruption of Hizbullah and of the current political elite and their responsibility in the port blast, said one legal and constitutional expert, lawyer Saeed Malik.

'A message for justice'

"Al-Bitar's decision to resume his work is a message for justice," Malik told Al-Mashareq. "This marks a new milestone toward achieving lost justice."

"We are facing a real battle between the leaders of a corrupt authority and Judge al-Bitar, especially since the corruption of the [political elite] and Hizbullah is closely linked to the port explosion," he said.

"We support and urge Lebanese authorities to complete a swift and transparent investigation into the horrific explosion at the Port of Beirut," said US State Department spokesman Ned Price in a tweet.

Judicial writer Youssef Diab said the resumption of the investigation has put it back on track, while at the same time aggravating the division within the judiciary.

The judicial rift is a reflection of the political conflict between a camp supported by Hizbullah and another camp supported by political forces that want to see the truth come to light, he said.

Hizbullah "is impacted by the course of the investigation as expressed by Hassan Nasrallah more than once in his speeches", Diab said.

The resumption of the investigation came as a shock to Hizbullah and the political elite, said writer and political analyst Tony Boulos.

"After they felt relieved, put their affairs in order and turned the page on the port blast probe ... they were stunned by the reopening of the file," he said.

"That's because the investigation will uncover the secrets of what they committed at the port," Boulos said.