Nearly six years after the Beirut Port explosion, Lebanon's investigation is nearing indictment, bringing dozens of senior officials closer than ever to trial in a landmark case seeking accountability for one of the world's deadliest non-nuclear explosions.
Lebanon's long-stalled investigation into the Beirut Port explosion is approaching its most consequential moment yet.
Around 70 defendants, including politicians, judges, security and military officials, are expected to face indictment before the sixth anniversary of the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion, which killed more than 235 people, injured around 7,000 and devastated large parts of Beirut. Once the indictment is issued, the judicial investigator is expected to order the arrest of those charged before referring the case to the Judicial Council, paving the way for the first trial over one of the deadliest non-nuclear explosions in modern history.
Unlike a natural disaster, the apocalypse was not an act of nature. It was the consequence of years of state negligence.
Nearly six years after the Beirut Port explosion, the investigation has entered its final judicial phase. In March, the investigating judge, Judge Tarek Bitar concluded his investigation and referred the entire case file to the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, then headed by Judge Jamal Hajjar, in accordance with legal procedure. The number of defendants in the case reached around 70 people, including politicians, security and military officials and civil servants
At the end of April, Judge Ahmad Rami El Hajj succeeded Hajjar following the latter’s retirement.
The Beirut port explosion file was subsequently transferred to El Hajj, who is tasked with reviewing the case and issuing his legal opinion, the final procedure step before Judge Bitar delivers his long - awaited indictment. While the Public prosecutor’s opinion forms part of the process, the law does not require Judge Bitar to adopt its recommendations when issuing the indictment.
The case reaches this decisive stage after years of political obstruction. Since 2023, the investigation has repeatedly been thrown into jeopardy as Hezbollah led a campaign demanding Judge Bitar’s removal, while dozens of lawsuits were filed in an effort to strip him of the case. Despite mounting political pressure, security threats and repeated legal challenges, Bitar resumed the investigation after Lebanon’s balance of power shifted following the 2023-2024 war with Israel and Hezbollah, which significantly weakened the Iran-backed group.
Arrest warrants before the judicial council
“It is certain that Judge Ahmad Rami El Hajj has not yet completed his legal opinion on the Beirut Port explosion case to date. However, it is expected that he will issue it in the near future, especially since the case is of major public interest and is being closely monitored by all concerned parties, who are awaiting the issuance of the opinion, to be followed by the indictment”, Legal and constitutional expert Said Malek told The Beiruter.
According to Malek, once the Public Prosecutor submits his opinion, the next step is inevitable. “The judicial investigator's decision will be based on that opinion and will take the form of an indictment, establishing the legal framework upon which the case will proceed”.
The indictment will then trigger the next phase of the proceedings
“Once the indictment is issued, the judicial investigator will issue arrest warrants, which will then be referred to the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation for execution”.
Although defendants may still resort to every legal avenue available to challenge or delay the proceedings, Malek believes the process has reached a point of no return.
“The train has now left the station, and the next anticipated destination is the Judicial Council.”
Malek stressed that these will not be detention warrants but arrest warrants, although their legal effect is largely the same. “These arrest warrants effectively serve the same function as detention warrants, allowing the defendants to be referred to the Judicial Council, where they will be tried in accordance with due legal process”.
“Once the arrest warrants are issued, the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation is legally required to execute them by apprehending the accused and referring them to the Judicial Council in custody so that the trial can formally begin,” he added.
The constitutional expert noted that this procedure also applies to individuals who had previously been detained under earlier detention warrants. “Ultimately, what matters now is that the indictment will determine exactly which individuals are formally accused in the case.”
For the families of the victim, who have spent nearly six years demanding accountability, the investigation has never appeared closer to trial.
William Noun, whose brother, firefighter Joe Noun, was killed in the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut Port explosion and who is a leading member of the Association of the families of the victims, believes the case has entered its most decisive phase.
“A large number of the defendants are security officials, judges, and politicians, but the majority are judges and security officials, “Noun told The Beiruter. He expects the indictment to be issued “before the anniversary of the Beirut port explosion.”
Noun noted that the scale of the review in the file explains the time required to complete the process. “There are 6,000 pages of documents in the file that Judge Bitar handed over to Judge El Hajj; they are certainly working on it and making progress.”
Unlike previous years, when political pressure repeatedly stalled the investigation, Noun now sees “more seriousness” by the authorities to enforce judicial decisions than before.
“Lebanon’s Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ahmad Hajjar is very serious and strict about the law and plays a major role, he said, adding “we are in contact with him, and he is very supportive of carrying out the arrests. He says that as soon as the judiciary issues the warrants, we will execute them. There will be no cover-up for anyone.”
Noun also believes the Interior Minister is prepared to ensure the security forces execute the warrants, if necessary.
“If the Minister of the Interior needs to put pressure on the security forces to act, they will act. We have confidence in him. There is a serious commitment, and the atmosphere is better than before.”
Asked about the possibility of renewed legal challenges by the defendants, Noun argued that Judge Bitar has already demonstrated his determination to see the investigation through. “Judge Bitar, even at the height of the crisis and the war, and even in the face of threats from Hezbollah has continued to carry out his duties normally and has not been deterred, not even after the events in Tayouneh and Ain al-Rummana.”
For now, however, everything depends on one remaining procedural step: the Public Prosecutor's review. “We are waiting for El hajj to finish his review, and after that, we will move forward with the Council of Justice and public trials. Everything hinges on the review, and things are looking up.”
The August 4, 2020, blast, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, devastated large parts of Beirut, killing more than 235 people and wounding about 6,500. A fire at a port warehouse ignited hundreds of tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate, despite repeated warnings to senior officials, who face accusations of negligence.
