Anti-Hezbollah judge orders investigation into Beirut port explosion to be reopened

Lebanese TV channel Al-Jadeed reported the resumption of the investigation into the causes of the explosion in the port of Beirut in August 2020, which killed 218 people.

Judge Tarek al-Bitar, who was assigned to the case, ordered the investigation to be reopened a year after the explosion. Hezbollah and the Amal movement categorically opposed the appointment of al-Bitar. The judge tried to call Lebanon’s prosecutor general and the former prime minister to testify, but in January 2023, prosecutors ordered the case closed.

According to the TV channel, the hearings will begin on February 7 and will take place in three stages. Old and new seaport and customs officials, security chiefs, military and intelligence officials will be invited to testify.

Beirut port explosion

On August 4, at about 18:00, a powerful explosion occurred in the port of Beirut. According to the Lebanese government, about 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate (ammonium nitrate) exploded, which had been stored in a warehouse at the port for six years after being confiscated on the Rhosus vessel (according to documents, it was sailing from Georgia to Mozambique under the flag of Moldova, owned by a Russian citizen, crew Russian -Ukrainian).

More than 200 people became victims of the explosion, over 6,000 were injured and injured. Clearance of the port ruins and surrounding areas continues.

According to the investigation, the explosion was the result of long-term storage of ammonium nitrate in improper conditions; the immediate cause of the explosion was the ignition of fireworks stored nearby, which caught fire from sparks when welding a metal hangar door. Dozens of suspects of indirect involvement in this incident were detained, both those who made decisions on dangerous cargo and those who did not make any decisions on this issue, although they had the authority to do so. Among those detained are port director Hassan Kritam, employees of the port administration and customs department, workers who carried out repairs in the hangar, those responsible for storage, etc. At this stage of the investigation, the Lebanese authorities reject the version of anyone’s malicious actions.

As a result of the explosion, a crater with a radius of about 70 meters and a depth of more than 40 meters was formed at the site of the 12th hangar. Dozens of other hangars were destroyed. The ship standing near the 12th hangar was destroyed. Another ship capsized. Two more cargo ships were damaged. Huge damage was caused to buildings, infrastructure and vehicles within a radius of about 2 km from the epicenter of the explosion. About 250 thousand people lost their homes because their homes were completely or partially destroyed. Among other things, the stock of wheat stored in the port was destroyed.

According to a preliminary estimate by Lebanese authorities, the damage from the powerful explosion in the port of Beirut, which occurred on August 4, amounts to up to $15 billion, which could have catastrophic consequences for the economy of the country, which is experiencing a severe crisis.