Beirut Blast Probe Halted Again, Suspects Threaten All-Out Political War

The investigation into the August 2020 explosion at the Port of Beirut halted again Tuesday, a week after the families of the thousands killed and injured in the blast celebrated Judge Tarek Bitar surviving the second attempt to remove him by targets of the investigation.

The Lebanese parliament came to a standstill Wednesday as the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati teetered on the edge of chaos.

Bitar is the second judge to oversee the long and thus-far fruitless investigation into the Beirut Blast, which killed over 200 people and injured over 6,500 more. Last Tuesday, a court rejected the second effort to remove him on charges of political bias, following massive protests in Beirut by citizens who feared justice would never be served.

One week later, Bitar’s investigation was suspended yet again when former finance minister Ali Hasan Khalil and former public works minister Ghazi Zeiter filed new legal complaints against the judge and demanded his removal. 

Khalil lodged his complaint just minutes after Bitar swore out a warrant for his arrest, because Khalil ignored a summons for questioning.

In another ominous turn of events for Bitar, the leader of terrorist organization/political party Hezbollah called for his ouster Monday.

“The targeting is clear, you are picking certain officials and certain people. The bias is clear,” Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said, claiming Bitar is using “the blood of the victims to serve political interests.” 

Bitar’s investigation has yet to focus on any member of Hezbollah, which is the most likely suspect for hoarding the gigantic amount of unstable ammonium nitrate that blew the Port of Beirut to smithereens last summer, but he has questioned some of Hezbollah’s allies, including Khalil. 

Monday was the first time Hezbollah has publicly called for Bitar’s removal, although Hezbollah operatives have reportedly threatened to “usurp” him if his investigation interfered with their operations.

Khalil is a sitting member of parliament, but Prime Minister Mikati claimed last week that he signed a bill stripping the customary guarantee of immunity from “everyone” who might have been involved in the Beirut Blast.

On Tuesday, the Lebanese parliament broke down into what Reuters described as a “heated discussion” about Bitar, with Hezbollah and its allies demanding his removal. 

Khalil told reporters after the tempestuous session that he regarded Bitar’s warrant for his arrest as illegal and threatened his allies could resign and paralyze Lebanon’s already moribund government if the judge is not removed.

“The legal path that is being followed in this investigation is pushing the country towards civil strife. All options for political escalation are open,” he said, adding that “another kind” of escalation could be on the table if political warfare fails.

Parliament was postponed Wednesday after more arguments over the Beirut Blast investigation, and more demands to remove Bitar. A source told Reuters that parliamentary leaders are working on a “framework” to resolve the issue without shutting the legislature down.

Bitar’s critics Wednesday called on their supporters to demonstrate against him, while Hezbollah’s opponents denounced its efforts at “intimidation” and asked their supporters to get ready for a general strike.

The Jerusalem Post (JP) warned Wednesday that Lebanon’s government is “on the brink of collapse” thanks to Hezbollah’s assault on the Bitar investigation – which may have been launched as a pre-emptive strike because Hezbollah believes Bitar was about to indict its members.

According to the JP’s sources, Hezbollah is prepared to withdraw from the government if Bitar holds any of its members responsible for the Beirut Blast, effectively destroying Lebanon’s government. President Michel Aoun reportedly “stormed out of a meeting on Tuesday” after “expressing anger at Hezbollah’s threats of force.”

“Concerns are rising that the tensions could explode into violence, especially if Hezbollah continues to obstruct the investigation or tries to use force to remove Bitar,” the JP reported, fearing Lebanon’s spring elections could be delayed, canceled, or stolen if the crisis continues.