Overview
- The explosion on August 4, 2020 killed more than 200 people and shattered large parts of Beirut after tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in Hangar 12 ignited.
- Judge Tarek Bitar completed his probe and submitted a multi‑thousand‑page file to the public prosecutor in late March 2026 that names about 70 current and former officials and security figures.
- The file is under review at the public prosecutor’s office and must be returned with an opinion before Bitar can issue a public indictment; no one has been arrested in Lebanon over the blast.
- Victims’ families held vigils on the sixth anniversary to demand action while foreign courts and investigators, including France and the London High Court, continue parallel civil and criminal steps.
- The case traces back to a 2013 shipment of ammonium nitrate and to written state warnings in July 2020, and it was slowed for years by judge removals, immunity claims and political interference until work resumed under the 2025 government.