Outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Testifies Regarding Beirut Airport Explosion

The outgoing Prime Minister of Lebanon, Hassan Diab, has provided testimony regarding the explosion that occurred at Beirut Airport on August 4. Diab is the first senior political figure to testify before the judicial authorities, which do not have the right to question officials in the government or parliament without the intervention of a special body.

The Prime Minister, who left his position after the explosion that claimed the lives of over 190 people, stated that the cause of the disaster was 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in the port's warehouse for many years.

According to a source in the judicial system, Judge Fadi Sawan heard Diab's testimony as a "witness". The source stated that Sawan sought to determine how long Diab, while serving as Prime Minister, was aware of the presence of ammonium nitrate in the port. He also wanted to find out why Diab did not instruct the government to take action to remove the dangerous substance after receiving reports from the security services.

On July 20, Diab and President Michel Aoun received a message from the State Security Agency warning them of the danger associated with the highly unstable material. Following the explosion, the agency confirmed that it had alerted the authorities in a detailed report.

Lebanese authorities have begun their own investigation, rejecting calls for an international inquiry. So far, 25 suspects have been arrested, including the port's director, Hassan Koraytem, and the head of the customs service, Badri Daher. Among the arrested are three Syrian workers who were performing welding work in the warehouse on the day of the explosion.

Security service sources have suggested that the welding work might have sparked a fire that led to the explosion, although some observers have dismissed that theory. On Thursday, the Lebanese army announced that an additional 4.35 tons of ammonium nitrate had been discovered in containers near the port entrance.