Hezbollah leader blasts probe on port explosion

The leader of Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah group on Monday escalated his attack on the judge leading the probe into last year's port explosion, calling on authorities to replace him with a different investigator.

"I tell the families of the victims, if you are expecting to reach truth with this judge, I say you won't," claimed Hassan Nasrallah.

The criticism was aimed at Tarek Bitar, who was appointed in February by a government body, after his predecessor was removed.

A court ruled to remove Bitar's predecessor after he faced similar accusations of bias from former officials.

Nasrallah has repeatedly accused Bitar of politicizing the probe.

On Monday, he spent nearly a quarter of his one-hour speech meant to address the country's multiple crises to criticize almost every decision Bitar is taking in the investigation.

He accused him of mainly going after officials who are allies of Hezbollah while ignoring to even question others.

On Aug. 4, 2020, hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material used in fertilizers that had been improperly stored in Beirut's port for years, exploded, killing at least 214 people, injuring more than 6,000 and devastating nearby neighborhoods.

The material had been improperly stored in the port for years.

Independent media and rights groups revealed that most of Lebanon's senior political and security leadership knew of the explosive material stored at the port, but did nothing to take precautions or warn the public about them.

IMAGE: AP