عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Lebanon: Civil Strife Threats Surface in Response to Beirut Blast Probe

A general view shows the ravaged port of Lebanon's capital Beirut, on September 14, 2021. (AFP)
A general view shows the ravaged port of Lebanon's capital Beirut, on September 14, 2021. (AFP)
TT
TT

Lebanon: Civil Strife Threats Surface in Response to Beirut Blast Probe

A general view shows the ravaged port of Lebanon's capital Beirut, on September 14, 2021. (AFP)
A general view shows the ravaged port of Lebanon's capital Beirut, on September 14, 2021. (AFP)

The political conflict in Lebanon seems aggravating over forcing the lead investigator into last year’s colossal Beirut blast, Judge Tarik Bitar, to suspend the probe after he filed lawsuits against some deputies and former ministers.

A group of people have called for protests on Thursday outside the Justice Palace in Beirut to demand a replacement for Bitar.

Bitar, leading the investigation into the blast, was forced to suspend his work Tuesday after what human rights groups condemned as an attempt by politicians to evade justice.

It is the second time that Bitar has had to suspend the probe in the face of lawsuits filed by former ministers he had summoned on suspicion of negligence, and it comes amid growing calls from top officials, including Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah, for him to be replaced.

Bitar's predecessor, Fadi Sawan, was forced to suspend his probe for the same reason before he was finally removed in February in a move widely condemned as political interference.

Human rights groups and relatives of blast victims fear the latest suspension is a prelude to Bitar's removal, which would further derail the official inquiry into the country's worst peace-time tragedy.

Speaking to AFP on Tuesday, a court official said Bitar had been forced to pause the probe pending a ruling by the Court of Cassation on a lawsuit filed by former ministers Ghazi Zeaiter and Ali Hasan Khalil, both of whom Bitar had summoned for interrogation this week.

- 'Parody' -
Shortly before he was notified of the latest lawsuit, Bitar had issued an arrest warrant against Khalil, a former finance minister and member of the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement led by parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a court official said.

The warrant was issued after Khalil failed to show up for questioning on Tuesday, with his attorney appearing in his place to request more time to mount a defense, the court official added.

The arrest warrant is the second to be issued by Bitar after one last month against former public works and transport minister Youssef Fenianos, who also failed to attend a hearing.

On Tuesday evening in an interview with Al-Mayadeen television, Khalil told the TV the path of the probe threatened to push Lebanon "towards civil strife".

He warned against resorting "to the street".

Bitar was also scheduled to question Zeaiter, a former public works minister, and former interior minister Nohad Machnouk within the next 24 hours before the suspension came into force.

The investigator was hoping to complete a series of interrogations before parliament begins its session on October 19, after which several suspects will benefit from parliamentary immunity.

"The course of action taken by the politicians in the Beirut blast case is becoming a parody of itself," said Aya Majzoub of Human Rights Watch.

"The accused politicians are case shopping, filing all the complaints they can think of to suspend the investigation, in every court available to them, hoping that something sticks," she told AFP.
"It is a ludicrous attempt to evade justice."

- 'Smear campaign' -
The August 4, 2020 explosion at Beirut port killed more than 200 people, wounded thousands more and destroyed swathes of the capital.

The Lebanese investigation into the tragedy has yet to identify a single culprit. Calls have grown for an international probe but they have been rejected by the authorities.

Since taking up the case, Bitar has summoned an array of former premiers and ministers, and top military and security officials for questioning on suspicion of criminal negligence.

Nasrallah accused Bitar of bias on Monday, saying "things cannot go on this way".

Other politicians have accused the judge of partiality in his choice of suspects to question.

"There is a political decision to prevent Bitar from proceeding with his work; it's not just a case of stalling," said lawyer and activist Nizar Saghieh.

"Nasrallah's remarks are proof that patience has run out," Saghieh added.

The lawyer dismissed as "unfounded" the criticism directed towards Bitar.

"It is part of a systemic smear campaign that aims to tarnish Bitar's reputation," with the aim of facilitating his removal or undermining any findings he may make.

Sahar Mandour of Amnesty International condemned what she called "repeated excuses to suspend the probe".

Lebanese authorities, she said, "are not only dodging accountability but also undermining the expectation of accountability."

The government said it would address the "circumstances related to the investigation" at a meeting on Wednesday.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Tunisia Flood Death Toll Rises to Five

 A man removes water from his flooded home in La Goulette, near the Tunisian capital Tunis. AFP 
 A man removes water from his flooded home in La Goulette, near the Tunisian capital Tunis. AFP 
TT
TT

Tunisia Flood Death Toll Rises to Five

 A man removes water from his flooded home in La Goulette, near the Tunisian capital Tunis. AFP 
 A man removes water from his flooded home in La Goulette, near the Tunisian capital Tunis. AFP 

Authorities in Tunisia said flooding caused by three days of exceptional rainfall has killed five people, causing property damage in several provinces and leaving schools and businesses shut and transportation disrupted after parts of the country experienced their heaviest rainfall in years.

The death toll rose to five, Khalil Mechri, a civil defense spokesman told AFP. “Two people swept away by floodwaters, while a woman drowned in her home,” he said.

Mechri said since the flooding started, the emergency services pumped water from 466 inundated homes and have rescued 350 people trapped by floodwaters.

Tunisian media said four fishermen were missing on Wednesday. A fifth was rescued in Teboulba, south of Monastir, while authorities are searching for the remaining crew.

Mechri said while the bad weather was now less intense, “the level of alert remains high.”

President Kais Saied visited several affected areas on Tuesday, including Moknine and Teboulba, local media said.

Footage and videos widely circulated on social media showed significant flooding to homes and roads, with cars stranded in water, particularly in the capital, Tunis.

Authorities suspended classes on Wednesday in public and private schools and universities in 15 of the country's 24 governorates because of the weather. Transportation was also disrupted in several areas.

Abderazak Rahal, head of forecasting at the National Institute of Meteorology (INM), told AFP some Tunisian regions had not seen so much rain since 1950.

“We have recorded exceptional amounts of rainfall for the month of January,” Rahal said, with the regions of Monastir, Nabeul and greater Tunis the hardest hit.

The latest rainfall has proved record-breaking, but Tunisian streets often flood after heavy downpours, largely because of the state of the country's infrastructure.

Drainage and stormwater networks are often old and poorly maintained, particularly in rapidly expanding urban areas, with waste sometimes clogging the system.

Rapid urbanization of some areas has also led to less rainwater being absorbed into the ground, increasing runoff.

The dramatic deluge comes as Tunisia grapples with a seven-year drought, worsened by climate change and marked by a sharp decline in water reserves in dams nationwide.

In neighboring Algeria, several regions have also been hit by massive downpours and floods.

Algerian civil defense authorities said they had recovered the body of a man in his sixties who died in flooding in the northwestern province of Relizane.

Arab World

Lebanon: Israel Launches New Phase of Escalation in the South

Lebanese residents flee after an Israeli air strike on the town of Qennarit in the South on Wednesday (AP). 
Lebanese residents flee after an Israeli air strike on the town of Qennarit in the South on Wednesday (AP). 
TT
TT

Lebanon: Israel Launches New Phase of Escalation in the South

Lebanese residents flee after an Israeli air strike on the town of Qennarit in the South on Wednesday (AP). 
Lebanese residents flee after an Israeli air strike on the town of Qennarit in the South on Wednesday (AP). 

Israel has intensified its military campaign in areas north of the Litani River in South Lebanon over the past two weeks, carrying out air strikes at least twice a week—well above the tempo seen before the start of the year.

The intensified moves have been accompanied by near-daily surveillance and pursuit operations, signaling a sharper escalation as the Lebanese army prepares to launch the second phase of its plan to place weapons under state control north of the Litani.

After heavy strikes on Monday targeting areas north of the river, the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings on Wednesday afternoon for residents of five towns in southern Lebanon. The alerts came hours after Israeli strikes that killed two people, whom Israel said were Hezbollah members.

Local sources monitoring the developments told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israeli air raids now occur every two to three days — at least twice weekly — double the frequency recorded last year.

Previously, strikes were largely confined to areas south of the Litani and its banks at a rate of about once a week, often on Thursdays. The current campaign includes strikes on valleys and village outskirts, alongside repeated evacuation warnings in several towns north of the river. The warnings increasingly target large buildings and entire neighborhoods, with heavy munitions causing widespread damage to property and surrounding areas.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders in two phases for five villages north of the Litani, triggering the displacement of hundreds of residents. Israeli army Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the military would strike Hezbollah infrastructure to counter what he described as attempts to rebuild its activities in the region.

He identified targets in Jarjoua and Kfar Kila in Nabatieh district and Qennarit in Sidon district, about 40 kilometers from the border, and urged residents to evacuate immediately. After strikes destroyed the targeted buildings and damaged nearby structures, further evacuation orders were issued for Ansar and Zrariyeh, around 30 kilometers from the Israeli border.

The Lebanese army is expected next month to submit a plan to the government outlining mechanisms for disarming Hezbollah north of the Litani, following its announcement that it had dismantled the group’s weapons in border areas south of the river.

Earlier in January, the army said it had completed the first phase of the plan, aimed at placing weapons exclusively under state control, and asserted that it had established operational control over areas south of the Litani — roughly 30 kilometers from the Israeli border — except for territories still under Israeli occupation.

Israel has questioned the adequacy of these measures, describing them as insufficient. Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel was expected to withdraw from South Lebanon but has maintained its presence at five strategic positions, which Lebanon continues to demand it vacate.

Arab World

Lebanese Army Affirms Commitment to Protect Borders with Syria

Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal holds a meeting of the High Supervision Committee on the Border Protection Assistance Program in the presence of British, US and Canadian Ambassadors to Lebanon (Lebanese Army Directorate of Orientation) 
Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal holds a meeting of the High Supervision Committee on the Border Protection Assistance Program in the presence of British, US and Canadian Ambassadors to Lebanon (Lebanese Army Directorate of Orientation) 
TT
TT

Lebanese Army Affirms Commitment to Protect Borders with Syria

Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal holds a meeting of the High Supervision Committee on the Border Protection Assistance Program in the presence of British, US and Canadian Ambassadors to Lebanon (Lebanese Army Directorate of Orientation) 
Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal holds a meeting of the High Supervision Committee on the Border Protection Assistance Program in the presence of British, US and Canadian Ambassadors to Lebanon (Lebanese Army Directorate of Orientation) 

The Lebanese Army on Wednesday reaffirmed its commitment to protect the border with Syria, stressing that achieving this goal successfully “requires qualitative military support.”

The announcement came in parallel with preparations to hold a fundraising conference in support of the country’s army, scheduled to be held in Paris on March 5.

The Lebanese Army is deployed along its northern and eastern border with Syria, where its forces work on implementing security measures and combat smuggling.

Other tasks include deployment on the southern border with Israel, implementing the Lebanese government’s plan to dismantle all armed militias, as well as protecting internal stability and combating drug smuggling.

In this regard, a meeting of the Higher Supervisory Committee on the Assistance Program for Land Borders Protection was held in Yarzeh, in the presence of Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal, British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell, US Ambassador, Michel Issa, Canadian Ambassador Gregory Galligan, and members of the joint working team.

In a statement, the Lebanese Army Command said the meeting highlighted the implemented phases of the program and the necessary steps to support the LAF units tasked with protecting Lebanon’s eastern and northern borders and combat smuggling and illegal activities.

The British embassy said in a statement that the ambassadors underlined the LAF’s pivotal role in maintaining security and stability during a period of significant challenge.

They stressed the need to support the military institutions to further strengthen Lebanon’s security, stability, and territorial integrity.

“The Committee convened to review progress and challenges in securing Lebanon’s eastern and northern borders, and reaffirmed support for the LAF’s (Lebanese Army’s) efforts to reinforce state authority at this critical time,” the British embassy said.

For his part, General Haykal said, “We are committed to protect the borders and we have made many efforts and sacrifices to this end.”

However, he added, “achieving this goal successfully requires qualitative military support, given the size of challenges on the northern and eastern borders.”

Haykal hailed the US, British, and Canadian authorities for their continuous support to the army, which plays a fundamental role in enhancing the capabilities of military units and enabling them to carry out their missions amid the current challenges.