It's been five years since the devastation explosion at Beirut harbour, on August 4, 2020, when 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded as as consequence of a fire. 200 people lost their lives, thousands were injured, and a big part of the city was destroyed, in one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded.
Every year since the tragedy, victims of the explosion gather to protest about the lack of accountability: an investigation was launched, but it has encountered many obstacles, with prosecutors being removed and politicians refusing to answer questions holding to their parliamentary immunity. The judge tasked in 2021 to lead the investigation, Tarek Bitar, spent two years "stymied by Lebanese authorities", according to Human Rights Watch.
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This year, however, things feel a little different, according to people interviewed by Al Jazeera, since a new president and prime minister were elected in early 2025, Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam, respectively, who committed to bringing justice to the victims. And for the first time in five years, "there is a feeling that momentum is building", they reported.
"Accountability would be the first step for the Lebanese in Lebanon and the diaspora to regain trust, and without trust, Lebanon will not be able to recover", said Bitar, who thinks that "they need to send a signal to Lebanese public opinion that some of those responsible, even if they are in high positions, will be held accountable".