Grief and Wrath as Lebanon Marks Year since Deadly Blast

A picture taken with a drone shows a general view of the site of the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion in Beirut's port, after almost a year since the blast, Lebanon August 2, 2021. REUTERS/Imad Creidi
A picture taken with a drone shows a general view of the site of the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion in Beirut's port, after almost a year since the blast, Lebanon August 2, 2021. REUTERS/Imad Creidi
TT
20

Grief and Wrath as Lebanon Marks Year since Deadly Blast

A picture taken with a drone shows a general view of the site of the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion in Beirut's port, after almost a year since the blast, Lebanon August 2, 2021. REUTERS/Imad Creidi
A picture taken with a drone shows a general view of the site of the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion in Beirut's port, after almost a year since the blast, Lebanon August 2, 2021. REUTERS/Imad Creidi

Lebanon on Wednesday marks a year since a cataclysmic explosion ravaged Beirut, with a mix of grief over lost lives and rage at the impunity for its worst peacetime disaster at a time when its economy was already in tatters.

Shortly after 6:00 pm on August 4, 2020, a stock of ammonium nitrate fertilizer haphazardly stored at the city's port exploded and left swathes of the Lebanese capital looking like a war zone.

What went down as one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in history killed at least 214 people, levelled entire neighborhoods and irreparably scarred the nation's psyche as well deepening the country's economic abyss.

With more than half the country living under the poverty line, former colonial power France aims to raise humanitarian aid at another international conference co-hosted by the UN on the day of the anniversary. President Emmanuel Macron hopes to gather $350 million.

Families of the dead and survivors have planned vigils, prayers, ceremonies and marches to honor those who perished in a blast whose shockwave was felt as far away as Cyprus, said Agence France-Presse.

Port workers were buried under gutted grain silos, firefighters battling the fire that preceded the blast were pulverized, commuters crushed to death and residents lacerated by supersonic shards of glass bled out in their homes.

Many will stay home on what was declared a national day of mourning, but last year's shock soon gave way to an anger that has only grown with every day the crime stays unpunished.

The country's already reviled political class has hidden behind its proclaimed immunity to avoid prosecution, stalling the lead investigating the judge's work at every turn.

In a press conference on Monday, relatives of blast victims called on authorities to lift immunity within three days, warning that they are willing to "break bones" in upcoming protests.

"We are done with routine and peaceful demonstrations ... beware of our anger," said Ibrahim Hoteit, a spokesperson for the families.

- 'Shameless obstruction' -
One protest is due to wind up in front of parliament, where no move has been taken towards accepting accountability.

Amnesty International accused the Lebanese authorities of "shamelessly obstructing" justice, while Human Rights Watch published a long report accusing them of "criminal negligence".

According to foreign and Lebanese intelligence reports seen by AFP, hundreds of tons of fertilizer were carelessly stored in the same warehouse as ton of fireworks and rolls of detonating cord, among other dangerous materials.

The reports, all dating back to last year, suggest that welding work caused the original fire.

However, more thorough investigations have yet to ascertain that fact and answer how the shipment got there in the first place, or why the deadly assortment of hazardous materials was left to fester in the same location for years.

Lebanon's parliamentarians -- some of whom have been nicknamed the "nitrate deputies" on social media -- are ignoring intense international pressure and threats of sanctions.

They have yet to agree on a government lineup despite being given a mid-September deadline last year by Paris, which has spearheaded an aid drive conditioned on reform.

A first donor conference for Lebanon in the immediate aftermath of the blast collected 280 million euros ($332 million at current rates).

Lebanon's descent into chaos had already started before the port blast, with a bankrupt state trapping people's savings in banks and the national currency nosediving on the black market.

The country is now facing medicine, fuel and clean water shortages that are compounding the national post-blast trauma, crippling a health sector facing a new wave of Covid infections and leading all of those who can to emigrate.



Missile Exchanges between Iran, Israel Turn Lebanese Skies into Aerial Frontline

Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP)
Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP)
TT
20

Missile Exchanges between Iran, Israel Turn Lebanese Skies into Aerial Frontline

Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP)
Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP)

Lebanese skies have turned into a daily theater of missiles streaking across between Iran and Israel, with the country’s geography making it a frontline in their aerial confrontation.

Missiles launched towards Israeli cities like Haifa and Tel Aviv must begin their descent trajectory over Lebanon, forcing Israeli air defense systems to intercept the threats near Lebanon’s southern and eastern borders.

Since Friday night, Lebanese people have witnessed a variety of projectiles, ranging from Iranian missiles and drones to Israeli air defense rockets, intersecting mid-air near Lebanon’s airspace.

Some fly in droves over Lebanese territory, others collide in the sky, while others veer off course, leaving fiery trails visible above the country.

Israeli interception launches come from multiple locations: the Mediterranean Sea to the west, the Golan Heights to the east, and central and northern Israel south of Lebanon.

Military and strategic affairs researcher Mustafa Asaad said Iranian forces have employed about 13 different types of missiles and projectiles in their attacks since last Friday.

In response, Israel is deploying five separate air defense systems operating at various altitudes.

Asaad explained that each missile type follows distinct flight paths and heights. Some travel at fixed altitudes, others maneuver to evade interception, and some even breach the atmosphere altogether.

This complex choreography aims to allow a few missiles, typically two or three, to bypass Israel’s air defenses and reach their targets.

Asaad added that Lebanese observers tend to see the missiles more clearly because they witness the final descent phase, when projectiles begin their downward trajectory toward targets.

While drones are rarely visible to the naked eye except when intercepted, Lebanese people in the south and to a lesser extent in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and Mount Lebanon frequently observe Iranian projectiles in flight.

Asaad explained this visibility occurs because these projectiles are often in their final stages, descending toward impact. “What we see are mostly medium-range missiles flying at altitudes low enough to be visible at night,” he said.

In contrast, missiles flying at higher altitudes become visible only during their final drop or when intercepted by Israeli air defenses, producing distinct explosions resembling stars or meteors. Missiles in these higher atmospheric layers are typically targeted by Israel’s missile defense systems.

In recent days, residents in southern Lebanon have witnessed several Iranian missiles descending in “convoy-like” formations toward Israel.

Some estimates suggest these projectiles’ warheads may split into two, four, or six parts when hit by Israeli interceptors, usually targeting the missile’s main body, creating the illusion of multiple missiles traveling together.

However, Asaad cast doubt on this theory, saying, “There is no evidence that Iran possesses such technology.”

He explained that the missiles observed in images are single-warhead ballistic missiles launched from a single platform, flying closely in a group along the same trajectory.

Asaad noted that Tehran’s missile arsenal does not yet match the sophistication of Russia’s recent systems, some of which were used in a major strike on Ukraine two weeks ago and featured advanced defenses like decoy flares designed to confuse air defenses.