Lebanon marks Thursday two years since a massive explosion ripped through Beirut port, leaving a mass trail of destruction and paralyzing large parts of the grieving city.
The blast, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, killed over 200 people, injured thousands and weakened the country’s already fragile economy.
A day after the destructive explosion, the Lebanese government opened an investigation into the incident, putting the port’s administrative staff under house arrest.
Almost a week after the blast, Lebanese lawyer Fadi Sawwan was appointed as a judge in charge of the investigation, before being sacked in Feb. 2021 by the court of cassation following lawsuits filed against him.
Tariq Bitar was given the confidence to replace Sawwan but his nomination was faced by backlash from the governing parties, mainly Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.
In Oct. 2021, Bitar again drew further attention after a court dismissed a complaint against him and allowed him to continue leading investigation into the blast. Protests calling for his removal turned into violence, leaving seven people dead following clashes in Beirut’s Tayouneh district.
For almost two years and until this very moment, families of the victims of the port blast are still organizing protests to demand accountability for those involved.
However, the investigation has yet to reach any outcome due to pleas filed by Lebanese MPs and former ministers against Bitar, which caused to put the investigation on hold for months.