US Denounces Lack of Accountability in Lebanon

Silos in Beirut port destroyed after the explosion (Reuters)
Silos in Beirut port destroyed after the explosion (Reuters)
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US Denounces Lack of Accountability in Lebanon

Silos in Beirut port destroyed after the explosion (Reuters)
Silos in Beirut port destroyed after the explosion (Reuters)

The US administration reiterated its demand for the Lebanese authorities to complete investigations into the August 4, 2020, explosion in Beirut port that killed more than 220 people, injured thousands of others, and caused massive destruction in the capital.

Since December 23, 2021, investigations into the explosion, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in modern history, have been suspended after a series of legal appeals filed by suspected politicians against Judge Tariq Bitar, overseeing these investigations.

Lebanese politicians submitted over 25 requests to dismiss Bitar and other judges involved in the case.

In January 2023, the Lebanese Public Prosecutor, Ghassan Oweidat, halted Bitar's efforts to resume the investigation and ordered the release of all 17 suspects who had been arrested as part of the investigations.

In response to a question by Asharq Al-Awsat on the third anniversary of the explosion, a US State Department spokesperson asserted that the United States still stands with the Lebanese people.

"The victims and their families deserve justice and accountability for those responsible for the disaster and the underlying causes."

He indicated that the US and the international community have made it clear since the explosion that the Lebanese authorities need to expedite the completion of a transparent and prompt investigation into the horrific blast.

"The lack of progress towards accountability is unacceptable and underscores the need for judicial reform and greater respect for the rule of law in Lebanon."

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and about 300 bodies, individuals, survivors, and families of the victims renewed their call on the member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council should support the establishment of an international, independent, and impartial fact-finding mission into the explosion.

They emphasized that "there have been more than three years of continuous political interference into the domestic investigation."

The organizations reported that: "the Lebanese authorities have taken no meaningful steps to ensure that the domestic investigation can progress or to adopt a law on the independence of the judiciary in line with international standards."

UN member states should put forward a resolution establishing a fact-finding mission to uphold the rights of victims and survivors to truth, justice, and effective remedies, including reparations, and to show that such deliberate inaction by the Lebanese authorities has consequences, the organizations said.



Hezbollah Backs New Lebanese Government Ahead of Confidence Vote

Hezbollah members during the funeral of the party's Secretary-General Hashem Safieddine in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in southern Lebanon on February 24, 2025 (Reuters)
Hezbollah members during the funeral of the party's Secretary-General Hashem Safieddine in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in southern Lebanon on February 24, 2025 (Reuters)
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Hezbollah Backs New Lebanese Government Ahead of Confidence Vote

Hezbollah members during the funeral of the party's Secretary-General Hashem Safieddine in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in southern Lebanon on February 24, 2025 (Reuters)
Hezbollah members during the funeral of the party's Secretary-General Hashem Safieddine in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in southern Lebanon on February 24, 2025 (Reuters)

Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc on Tuesday gave its support to Lebanon's new government, which in a ministerial statement ahead of a confidence vote vowed a state monopoly on arms and the country's neutrality.

"We give our confidence to the government," said Mohammed Raad, the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, expressing hope the new administration would "succeed in opening the doors to real rescue for the country", AFP reported.

"We are keen on cooperating to the greatest extent to preserve national sovereignty and its stability and achieve reforms and take the state forward," Raad told a two-day parliamentary session that began on Tuesday and will culminate in a vote of confidence in the new government.

The ministerial statement, an outline of the new government's work plan that was read out by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, vowed to extend "state sovereignty across all its territories exclusively with its own forces".

It also committed to deploy the army "in internationally recognized Lebanese border areas", and emphasized the need to work to implement a commitment by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on "the state's duty in monopolising the bearing of weapons" and "deciding on war and peace".

The ministerial statement noted the need to take "all the necessary steps to liberate all Lebanese territories from Israeli occupation".

Israel has maintained its troops in five "strategic" points along the shared border despite the ceasefire deal requiring its forces to withdraw completely.

Raad said the aim of the latest war was "to finish with Hezbollah... and end its resistance presence" against Israel, adding, "That attempt failed".

The new government has pledged to create a fund for rebuilding damaged and destroyed areas and is hoping for foreign assistance with the reconstruction effort, with the country mired in a five-year economic crisis.

The ministerial statement also pledged to adopt a "foreign policy that works to make Lebanon neutral from axis conflicts" and ensure "Lebanon is not used as a platform for attacking" Arab and friendly countries.