Beirut Silos at Heart of Debate About Remembering Port Blast

Rubble, spilled grains remain around towering silos gutted in the massive August explosion at the Beirut port that claimed the lives of more than 200 people, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. A heated debate is underway in Lebanon over the fate of the towering silos with some arguing the gutted silos could collapse at any moment, and must be demolished, while others call for the ruins to be preserved as a grim memorial. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Rubble, spilled grains remain around towering silos gutted in the massive August explosion at the Beirut port that claimed the lives of more than 200 people, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. A heated debate is underway in Lebanon over the fate of the towering silos with some arguing the gutted silos could collapse at any moment, and must be demolished, while others call for the ruins to be preserved as a grim memorial. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
TT
20

Beirut Silos at Heart of Debate About Remembering Port Blast

Rubble, spilled grains remain around towering silos gutted in the massive August explosion at the Beirut port that claimed the lives of more than 200 people, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. A heated debate is underway in Lebanon over the fate of the towering silos with some arguing the gutted silos could collapse at any moment, and must be demolished, while others call for the ruins to be preserved as a grim memorial. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Rubble, spilled grains remain around towering silos gutted in the massive August explosion at the Beirut port that claimed the lives of more than 200 people, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. A heated debate is underway in Lebanon over the fate of the towering silos with some arguing the gutted silos could collapse at any moment, and must be demolished, while others call for the ruins to be preserved as a grim memorial. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Ghassan Hasrouty spent most of his life working at the silos in Beirut´s port, unloading grain shipments to feed the country even as fighting raged around him during the 1975-90 civil war.

Decades later, he perished under the same silos, their towering cement structure gutted by the force of the Aug. 4 explosion at the port, when 2,750 tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrates ignited in what became one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.

In a horrific instant, a burst of power ravaged Beirut. More than 200 people died and the horror and devastation scarred the survivors.

Hasrouty´s son, Elie, wants justice for his father and thinks the silos should stay as a "mark of shame" and reminder of the corruption and negligence of politicians that many Lebanese blame for the tragedy.

A government-commissioned study in the wake of the disaster says the 50-year-old silos could collapse at any moment and should be demolished, sparking an emotional debate among the city´s residents over how to preserve the memory of the tragedy.

In Lebanon, where a culture of impunity has long prevailed and where those behind violent attacks, bombings, and assassinations have rarely been brought to justice, the debate is steeped in suspicion.

Sara Jaafar believes the government wants to obliterate the silos and move on as if nothing happened. "It is a reminder of what they did," said Jaafar, an architect whose apartment overlooking the silos was destroyed in the explosion.

"I never want to lose the anger that I have," she said.

Just days after the catastrophic blast, as public outrage mounted, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab stepped down, saying the country's endemic corruption was "bigger than the state."

The massive, 48-meter-high silos absorbed much of the explosion´s impact, effectively shielding the western part of the city from the blast that damaged or completely destroyed thousands of buildings.

The investigation into how such a large amount of dangerous chemicals was poorly stored for years under the nose of the port authority and the wider political leadership has dragged on. Rights groups and families are concerned it´s a tactic to protect senior officials, none of whom have so far been detained or charged with any wrongdoing.

More than four months later, rotting wheat is dripping from the shredded but still-standing silos, which stored up to 85% of Lebanon´s grain. Pigeons and rodents have found home among the wreckage.

Emmanuel Durand, a French civil engineer who volunteered for the government-commissioned team of experts, spent several weeks using a laser scanner to gather digital data for an analysis of the silos' structure after the explosion.

Though they may look structurally sound from afar, the silos are tilted and their foundation is broken, which has caused vertical cracks in two of them. They could collapse at any moment, Durand said, although it is impossible to calculate when.

"Silos are very strong as long as they have integrity, just like an egg," Durand said. "Now if the shell of the egg is slightly broken, it becomes very weak and you will have no difficulty in crushing the egg."

The army has plans to demolish the silos with equipment that crushes concrete and rebar, Durand said. Kuwait, which financed the building of the silos in the 1970s, has offered to donate to rebuild them.

Then came a proposal by Fadi Abboud, a former tourism minister and member of the largest Christian party, the Free Patriotic Movement, to turn the port and silos into a "tourist attraction," a site that would rival the Roman ruins in Baalbek.

Families of the victims protested, called it a heartless commercialization of the site where so many died.

"In their dreams!" vowed Gilbert Karaan, whose 27-year-old fiancée, firefighter-medic Sahar Fares, died battling the fire that broke out just before the explosion. "They will not profit off the martyrs."

Jonathan Dagher, a journalist with the independent online media platform Megaphone, said Abboud´s words were in line with comments by Gebran Bassil, the party´s leader, who said the explosion could be turned into a "big opportunity" to secure international support for Lebanon´s cash-strapped government.

"These words are not an accident" and belittle the tragedy of what happened, Dagher said.

There are concerns the port blast could be treated in the same way as Lebanon´s 15-year civil war.

The war is not taught in schoolbooks. There is no memorial for the 17,000 missing from the war. A general amnesty allowed warlords and militia leaders to dominate the country´s postwar politics. After the war, downtown Beirut was quickly rebuilt, a high-end corporate hub emerging from the ruins and devastation.

Jaafar, the architect, said pushback against demolishing the silos stems from fear that a similar scenario, based on a "concept of amnesia" - if you don´t see it, it didn´t happen - is being engineered for the Aug. 4 blast.

Lebanese architect Carlos Moubarak says the gutted silos should remain in place, their sheer size forever an echo of the massive explosion.

"There is something very, very powerful about the silos," he said. "They are now part of the people´s collective memory".

Moubarak has designed a memorial park at the site, with the silos as a focal point, a remembrance ring at the crater, a museum, and green space. The aim, he said, is to honor the victims and survivors while also capturing the spirit of solidarity among the Lebanese in the wake of the explosion. He is now trying to figure out ways to fund it.

Elie Hasrouty´s father and grandfather had both worked at the silos since they were built.

His father, Ghassan, 59, called home 40 minutes before the explosion to tell his wife that a new shipment of grains would keep him there late and asked her to send his favorite pillow and bedsheets for the unplanned overnight at work.

His remains were found at the bottom of the silos, 14 days later.

The silos should stay on as "a witness to corruption, so we can learn," Hasrouty said. "Something must change."



Syrian Prisoners File Puts Lebanon in a Bind, Legal Frameworks Needed for Resolution

Overcrowding in prisons and delays in trials in Lebanon lead to prolonged detention in police stations. (Getty) 
Overcrowding in prisons and delays in trials in Lebanon lead to prolonged detention in police stations. (Getty) 
TT
20

Syrian Prisoners File Puts Lebanon in a Bind, Legal Frameworks Needed for Resolution

Overcrowding in prisons and delays in trials in Lebanon lead to prolonged detention in police stations. (Getty) 
Overcrowding in prisons and delays in trials in Lebanon lead to prolonged detention in police stations. (Getty) 

The issue of Syrian prisoners in Lebanese custody has once again come to the forefront, following reports suggesting dissatisfaction from Damascus over Beirut’s delay in repatriating detainees. The leaked information also hinted at potential political and economic repercussions if the matter is not resolved.

According to these reports, the Syrian administration expressed frustration over Lebanon’s alleged foot-dragging on prisoner transfers and even warned of measures such as restricting Lebanese freight movement across Syrian territory and closing border crossings.

The reports triggered a wave of confusion in Lebanon’s political circles. However, Syrian officials were quick to deny the claims, and Lebanese authorities sought to ease tensions through direct communication.

A senior Lebanese official told Asharq Al-Awsat that “swift contacts” between Beirut and Damascus confirmed the Syrian administration’s denial of the allegations.

“The issue of Syrian prisoners remains a priority for Lebanon’s political, judicial, and security institutions and is being addressed through legal channels,” the official said. He emphasized Lebanon’s readiness to cooperate in extraditing Syrian nationals, but only in accordance with established legal and regulatory frameworks.

The controversy stemmed from a report by Syria TV claiming that Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa voiced deep dissatisfaction over the matter during a meeting with Lebanon’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan. The report alleged that Al-Sharaa accused Lebanese authorities of neglecting what he described as a humanitarian issue and hinted at punitive measures.

However, sources familiar with the Mufti’s visit to Damascus categorically denied that the prisoner issue was discussed. “At no point during the meeting was the topic of Syrian prisoners raised,” one source told Asharq Al-Awsat, citing the official statement from Dar al-Fatwa, which made no mention of the issue.

There are currently more than 2,000 Syrians held in Lebanese prisons, including roughly 800 facing charges related to terrorism and security offenses. Many of them have repeatedly appealed to Syrian authorities for intervention, seeking to be transferred back home to complete their legal proceedings.

A source from Lebanon’s prison administration, under the Ministry of Justice, revealed that a joint judicial-security committee had reviewed the cases of hundreds of Syrian detainees eligible for repatriation. However, the process has stalled due to legal obstacles.

“No prisoner can be handed over without a final conviction,” the source said. “Extradition is not applicable to those still on trial, particularly if the offense was committed on Lebanese soil and involved Lebanese victims.”

Lebanon and Syria have signed multiple judicial agreements, including one on the extradition of wanted individuals. However, no deal currently exists for the transfer of convicted prisoners. According to legal sources, such an agreement would require coordination between the two countries’ justice ministries and eventual ratification by the Lebanese Parliament.

If signed, the agreement could pave the way for the repatriation of up to 370 convicted Syrian nationals currently serving sentences in Lebanon.

Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar Al-Wais is expected to visit Beirut soon for talks with Lebanese officials. The Lebanese side is optimistic that the visit could yield progress toward a formal agreement on prisoner transfers. “Lebanon has a vested interest in the repatriation of these detainees - but only under lawful and transparent procedures,” the official said. “This is not something that can be handled arbitrarily by simply sending buses to prisons.”

Tensions inside Lebanon’s prison system have escalated in recent months, particularly at Roumieh Central Prison, where “Building B” houses Islamist detainees, including Syrians accused of terrorism-related offenses. The facility has seen repeated unrest, with prisoners demanding a general amnesty and improved conditions.

On February 12, more than 100 Syrian detainees launched a hunger strike that lasted two weeks. The strike ended following a visit by a delegation from the Syrian embassy, which assured detainees that Damascus would prioritize their cases.

A Justice Ministry source confirmed that communication is ongoing between the Lebanese and Syrian justice ministries. “We have expressed full readiness to cooperate on the prisoner file,” the source said. “Once all legal procedures are in place, we’re prepared to begin the process of transferring convicted Syrian nationals to their home country.”