Beirut Port Blast: PM Nawaf Salam demands Judicial Independence. US Embassy in Beirut calls for Accountability

BEIRUT — In a powerful symbolic gesture, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam inaugurated “August 4 Victims Street” at the entrance to the Beirut Port on Friday evening — the site of the catastrophic explosion that devastated the Lebanese capital five years ago, claimed the lives of more than 220 people, injured thousands, and caused lasting material and psychological damage. 

Standing at the heart of the national wound, Prime Minister Salam addressed attendees with an unusually firm tone: “Hands off the judiciary,” he declared. “We will not bargain over justice. As the saying goes: Truth is the mother of justice.” 

In a message that appeared directed both domestically and internationally, Salam emphasized: “No one is above accountability,” pledging that the government will “facilitate all that the judiciary requires for the investigation.” 

Salam’s remarks also came in response to a question from Al Arabiya regarding Hezbollah’s weapons. He reiterated the government’s stance as outlined in the ministerial statement, affirming the need for “all arms to be under the control of the state,” referencing one of Lebanon’s most contentious political issues.

Le Premier ministre Nawaf Salam submergé par l’émotion

Lors de la cérémonie organisée à la Bibliothèque nationale en mémoire des victimes de l’explosion du port de Beyrouth, le Premier ministre Nawaf Salam a été ému par le témoignage d’une mère endeuillée, il n’a pu retenir ses… pic.twitter.com/bFWkfYsJkb

— InfoSudLiban (@InfoSudLiban) August 3, 2025

As justice remains elusive in the port explosion case, international pressure on Lebanese authorities has continued to mount. 

The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, expressed solidarity with the victims’ families, noting that “the tragedy continues to deepen with the glaring absence of justice.” Following her meeting with some of the bereaved families, she said: “Five years on, the victims, the survivors, and their families deserve full accountability — and they deserve it now.” 

Plasschaert welcomed the recent momentum in the investigations, describing the Lebanese Parliament’s adoption of the Judicial Independence Law as “an important step toward rebuilding trust between the Lebanese people and the state institutions.” 

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut issued a statement reaffirming its support for the Lebanese people’s demands for justice. The statement read: “Lebanon deserves an independent and impartial judiciary,” and “We stand with the Lebanese people in their call for accountability for the Beirut Port explosion.” 

While calls for truth and justice grow louder, political and security obstacles continue to impede the investigation. The judicial probe remains one of the most complex and politically entangled issues in Lebanon, with widespread allegations of political interference. 

As Beirut marks the somber anniversary of the August 4 explosion, the Lebanese public stands at a crossroads between the enduring hope for justice and the harsh reality of persistent impunity. Accountability remains elusive, justice continually postponed — and the victims, in many ways, remain unlaid to rest.