Lebanon cannot call itself a state without answers to Beirut port explosion, says Justice Minister


Jamie Prentis
  • English
  • Arabic

Lebanon “cannot pretend” to be a state if answers are not found to questions about the deadly Beirut port explosion in 2020, the country's Justice Minister has said.

No one has been held accountable for one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, which killed more than 220 people, injured thousands and flattened large parts of the Lebanese capital.

Nearly 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored at the port for years exploded on August 4 that year despite repeated warnings to the authorities.

Physical wounds are visible across Beirut, while the mental and emotional scars linger for its people every day, but justice appears elusive.

The tragedy exposed the deep-rooted corruption and negligence at the heart of Lebanon’s dysfunctional political and judicial systems.

Efforts to investigate the explosion have been repeatedly frustrated by political interference, legal challenges and the removal of lead investigators, leaving victims’ families still searching for answers five years later.

Tarek Bitar, the current investigative judge, has been threatened and faced challenges in summoning the senior figures he has fought to interrogate. He is finally making some progress after years of constant impediments – although a long road ahead remains.

“When you have a blast of the dramatic impact of the port blast, a state that is not able to give answers and ensure accountability to its citizens is a state not fulfilling its role,” said Justice Minister Adel Nassar.

“I understand the families, all the victims, that they want a decision as soon as possible. But I think they understand that the main criteria is to ensure he [Mr Bitar] completed his work and he got sufficient evidence supporting his findings,” Mr Nassar told The National in an interview at his office in Beirut, days before the fifth anniversary of the explosion.

A general view of the destroyed Beirut port silos on August 17, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. Getty Images
A general view of the destroyed Beirut port silos on August 17, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. Getty Images

Mr Nassar assumed the role earlier this year in the government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, himself a former judge and former chief of the International Court of Justice.

Mr Salam's team has sought to bring about reform in a country long plagued by institutional malaise, and the Prime Minister has repeatedly said that accountability over the blast is one his key objectives.

“It’s one of the priorities and nobody will accept that this major dramatic event remains without answers, without a trial, without a proper judicial system acting in this respect,” said Mr Nassar.

Justice delayed

Mr Bitar’s investigation has been fraught with challenges from the start. He was not the original lead judge in the immediate aftermath of the explosion and, at one point, was stripped of his authority by Lebanon’s then leading prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat – who himself had been charged in connection with the case. Mr Bitar also faced a barrage of lawsuits filed by senior officials seeking to avoid interrogation.

But, in January, he reopened the case again. Shortly after, his powers were reinstalled by Lebanon's new lead prosecutor and some – although not all – high officials who resisted interrogation for months, if not years, eventually appeared for questioning.

Mr Oueidat, however, refused on Thursday to be notified of a hearing scheduled by Mr Bitar for questioning on Monday as a suspect in the case.

The investigation's reactivation has coincided with the arrival of a new president and a reform-minded government, raising cautious hopes for a shift in approach.

“Maybe there is a coincidence between my arrival to the ministry and the fact that he [Mr Bitar] is being able to conduct his work without obstacles,” said Mr Nassar.

“A coincidence?” The National asked. “Why not?” the Minister responded, with a smile and shrug of his shoulders.

Mr Nassar said he has no formal role in the investigation, and that no good justice minister should have one in this case or any other.

“It’s clear that the Ministry is not in charge of the investigation and is not supposed to interfere in the investigation. And I'm clearly not interfering,” Mr Nassar said.

“My role is to ensure that the investigative judge will have all the tools he may require to continue his work and to prevent any political interference in his work.”

He added: “I tried to support any requirements or demand he brought, I'm very happy that French investigative judges came to Lebanon to share information with him,” referring to a French delegation that was on the ground two weeks after the blast and was allowed to share its findings with Mr Bitar once the investigation resumed.

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

“I made the contacts to ensure that they could come and share information. But I didn't even meet them, it's not my role to meet them.

“We really have to respect the separation of powers in Lebanon. In a democracy, you have a proper separation. I am a minister, I am not supposed to ask questions regarding the merit of a judge's work.”

Mr Nassar said he has ensured there is proper co-operation between Mr Bitar and Lebanon's lead prosecutor. He also reiterated his solidarity with families of the victims.

“It is one of the most terrible crimes that occurred. It is the duty of the state to give this file a full effort, because we cannot pretend we have a state, and at the same time, not be able to address this terrible blast,” he said.

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LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
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OUTSTANDING VARIETY/TALK SERIES

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Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
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Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

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Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

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MATCH INFO

Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE

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Info

What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship

When: December 27-29, 2018

Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams

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While you're here
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Specs

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Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

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The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
UAE SQUAD

Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan

Labour dispute

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- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):

Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE

Match will be shown on BeIN Sports

The Farewell

Director: Lulu Wang

Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma

Four stars

Ticket prices

General admission Dh295 (under-three free)

Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free

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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

Dubai World Cup nominations

UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer

USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.

Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.

Result

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)

7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby

7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby

8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor

8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

Results
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Places to go for free coffee
  • Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day. 
  • La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
  • Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
  • Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
UAE%20SQUAD
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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?

The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.

The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.

When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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The currency conundrum

Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”

Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.

This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.

Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs

A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.

The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.

Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.

Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.

Updated: July 31, 2025, 6:17 AM