Lebanon's acting PM Diab accused of causing Beirut blast

Lebanon’s investigating judge has charged caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers with negligence over the Beirut port blast that killed 200 people and ruined a swathe of the capital in August.

The others are former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil, as well as former public works ministers Ghazi Zeaiter and Youssef Finianos, state news agency NNA said on Thursday.

Zeaiter told Reuters he would make a statement once he was officially informed of the charges. He headed the public works and transport ministry in 2014, shortly after the arrival of the Rhosus ship carrying a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate which detonated at the port.

Officials have said the cargo of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical, was stored unsafely for years at the port, which lies in heart of the city.

Diab’s office, Finianos and Khalil, who is a senior aide to Lebanon’s influential Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Four months after one of the largest non-nuclear explosions on record, which injured thousands of people, victims are still waiting for the results of an investigation their leaders had promised would come within days of the Aug. 4 port blast.

The judge leading the official inquiry, Fadi Sawan, sent a letter last month asking parliament to probe 10 former ministers.

Soure: Reuters

 

The Liberum

Vox Populi, Vox Dei
See full bio >
The Liberum runs on your donation. Fight with us for a free society.
Donation Form (#6)

More articles you might like

The Syrian Dilemma kickstarted the Israeli Era in the Levant

Syria today stands at the edge of an irreversible transformation, where internal disintegration, foreign mandates, […]

When Reform meets Resistance: The Fate of Hezbollah’s weapons

Lebanon’s cabinet is set to meet again on Thursday to address the contentious issue of […]

Syria’s Islamist-led Government is failing to live up to its pledge to protect its people

Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's new interim leader, has failed in his responsibility to protect all Syrians […]

Russia & Iran: Partners in defeat?

The Israeli-American attack on the Islamic Republic has clearly shown that Iran is on its […]
- by Ali Albeash on 19/06/2025

Precision Warfare: How Trump and Netanyahu are Tag-Teaming Khamenei

Most people assume the Western world is intent on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. […]

SWIM Lebanon celebrates Four Years of Purpose, People, and the Power of Nature

Lebanon’s leading environmental NGO, SWIM Lebanon (Sustainable Waste Intercity Marathon), marks four years this month since […]