On Beirut Blast Anniversary, Kataeb MPs Call for Indictment as State Breaks from Parallel Authority

BEIRUT — On the fifth anniversary of the Beirut Port explosion, the most devastating disaster since the Hiroshima nuclear bombing, with no prospects for uncovering the perpetrators, accomplices, or those obstructing the investigation due to interference by certain parties, several Lebanese political parties and parliamentarians issued statements emphasizing the urgent need to reveal the truth. 

“For five years, investigations have been marred by deception, the judiciary has faced relentless pressure, and judges have endured threats,” stated MP Nadim Gemayel of the Kataeb Party in a post on the X platform. “Now, with the state partially freed from the grip of a parallel authority, the moment has arrived to issue the indictment, and security agencies must fulfil their duties.” 

Gemayel emphasized the urgent need to resolve the case definitively, declaring, “Partial measures are no longer adequate. The choice is clear: either a fully functioning judiciary and state, or the complete erosion of any prospect for establishing a sovereign state.” 

On August 3, 2025, Gemayel paid visits to several families of the victims and injured individuals affected by the Beirut Port explosion, in a gesture of solidarity and remembrance. 

Concurrently, Member of Parliament Selim Sayegh, speaking on behalf of the Kataeb Party in an interview with Voice of Lebanon radio, asserted that all individuals under suspicion—including a number of former ministers—are actively obstructing the course of justice by failing to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. He accused the so-called “resistance axis” of deliberately hindering judicial proceedings, implying the existence of a significant cover-up.  

MP Sayegh further stressed that primary responsibility rests with those who initially stored the hazardous materials, and ultimately with the parties who ensured their continued protection. 

Sayegh further stated, “With each passing day, we uncover additional evidence of Hezbollah’s pervasive influence and control over state institutions, both overtly and covertly. All individuals associated with this system, who have either collaborated with it or protected political and legal officials by refusing to cooperate with the investigation, share responsibility for these obstructions.” 

Advocating for justice for the victims and martyrs, Sayegh emphasized that, although no measure can fully compensate those affected, “the issuance of an indictment would initiate the healing process for families and the nation, steering justice onto the correct course and establishing the groundwork for a transparent and accountable state.” 

In a pointed critique of certain officials, MPs, and ministers, Sayegh expressed dismay at those shielding themselves behind parliamentary and ministerial immunity, declaring, “I am astounded by their boldness in engaging in public discourse while evading accountability and refusing to submit to the investigation.”