Lebanese Judge Tarek Bitar, the second judge to oversee the investigation of the titanic explosion that devastated the Port of Beirut in August 2020, has survived an effort by several targets of his investigation to remove him and effectively kill the probe.
The people of Lebanon noted with dismay on Tuesday that the first anniversary of the huge and deadly Port of Beirut explosion has arrived without any real progress in the much-touted probe to determine who was responsible.
Lebanese interim Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe on Wednesday tendered his resignation after making remarks blaming Gulf states, Lebanon’s traditional allies, for facilitating the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS), the government announced.
(AFP) — Supporters of a Lebanese-Canadian academic who is the only known suspect in a 1980 Paris bombing urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday not to allow him to be extradited a second time, as France’s top court weighs in on the case.
Beirut’s port partially opened again Wednesday as officials and residents continued to recover from last week’s devastating blasts that killed hundreds and left thousands homeless in Lebanon’s capital city.
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned on Monday afternoon, following the resignations of several other top ministers and effectively bringing the current Lebanese government to a close.
Reports in multiple Middle Eastern outlets suggested on Sunday that Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab may soon step down following the mass resignations of nine lawmakers and four of the nation’s 20 ministers. A third of ministers must resign for the government to collapse.
A Lebanese lawmaker revealed evidence on Wednesday that customs officials tried to get the government to secure a stash of ammonium nitrate, a combustible material, at least six times and received no guidance.
“This was not some kind of manufacturing explosion type of event,” he said. “This was a – seems to be, according to them. They would know better than I would. They seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind, yes.”
The Lebanese pound sank to a record low on the black market on Thursday despite the authorities’ attempts to halt the plunge of the crisis-hit country’s currency, sparking a flare-up in anti-government protests.
Protests in Lebanon turned violent again over the weekend, with over 400 injuries reported. There were several claims of security forces using live ammunition against protesters in addition to water cannons and tear gas.
Lebanon’s new prime minister-designate,Hassan Diab, said in an interview with Deutsche Welle aired Friday that he expected full European and US support for his government.
