Explainer: Two years on since Beirut blast, why has no top official been held to account?

This Thursday marks the second anniversary of Lebanon's Beirut port explosion, which killed at least 215 people, wounded thousands, and damaged vast swathes of the capital.

Despite the devastation wrought by the blast— one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded— a judicial investigation has brought no senior official to account.

With the probe frozen for months, many Lebanese people see this as an example of the impunity enjoyed by a ruling elite that has long avoided accountability for corruption and bad governance, including policies that led to a financial collapse.

Here is a recap of how the blast happened, and the obstacles that have paralysed the investigation.

What happened?

The explosion, which took place just after 6pm on August 4, 2020, resulted from the detonation of hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which ignited as a blaze tore through the warehouse where they were stored.

Originally bound for Mozambique aboard a Russian-leased ship, the chemicals had been at the port since 2013, when they were unloaded during an unscheduled stop to take on extra cargo.

The ship never left the port, becoming tangled in a legal dispute over unpaid port fees and ship defects. No one ever came forward to claim the shipment.

The amount of ammonium nitrate that blew up was one fifth of the 2,754 tonnes unloaded in 2013, the FBI concluded, adding to suspicions that much of the cargo had gone missing.

The blast was so powerful it was felt 250 km away in Cyprus, and sent a mushroom cloud over Beirut.

Who knew about the chemicals?

Senior Lebanese officials, including President Michel Aoun and the then-Prime Minister Hassan Diab, were aware of the cargo.

Shortly after the blast, Aoun said that he had told security chiefs to "do what is necessary" after learning of the chemicals. Diab had also stated that his conscience was clear.

Human Rights Watch said in a report last year that high-level security and government officials "foresaw the significant threat to life... and tacitly accepted the risk of deaths occurring".

ALSO READ:

• Lebanon: Part of Beirut Port's silos collapse, cloud of dust and smoke rises

• Lebanon seizes ship carrying 'stolen' Ukrainian grain

Who has investigated the blast?

The Justice Minister appointed Judge Fadi Sawan as Head Investigator shortly after the blast. Sawan charged three ex-ministers and Diab with negligence over the blast in December, 2020, but then hit strong political pushback.

A court removed him from the case in February, 2021 after two of the ex-ministers— Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeitar— complained that he had overstepped his powers.

Judge Tarek Bitar was appointed to replace Sawan. He sought to interrogate senior figures, including Zeitar and Khalil, both of whom were members of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal Movement, and allies of the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Judge Bitar also sought to question Major-General Abbas Ibrahim, head of the powerful General Security agency.

All have denied wrongdoing.