Lebanon receives request by 15 countries to accelerate Beirut port blasts probe-Xinhua

This photo taken on Aug. 3, 2023 shows a street painted in red pigment in commemoration of the victims of the Beirut port blasts in Beirut, Lebanon. The explosion that rocked the Beirut port on Aug. 4, 2020 killed more than 200 people and injured thousands of others. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

BEIRUT, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday received a request from envoys of 15 countries to speed up probes into the Beirut port blasts, which killed more than 200 people and injured thousands of others.

The diplomats expressed concern about obstacles facing the judicial investigations, according to the National News Agency.

Foreign Minister Bou Habib responded by affirming "the Lebanese government's commitment to revealing the circumstances surrounding the port explosion," while stressing that "the responsibility belongs to the Lebanese judiciary, which must carry out its duties following the laws and principles that govern its work."

The request comes three days before the third anniversary of the deadly incident, which destroyed a big part of Lebanon's capital Beirut in 2020.

Lebanese Judge Tarek Bitar was appointed to lead the investigation in February 2021 but has since faced increasing obstacles and threats to carry out his work, leading to its suspension that December.

In January, Bitar reopened the case. But soon after, Lebanon's top prosecutor halted the investigation while accusing Bitar of rebelling against the judiciary. ■

This photo taken on Aug. 3, 2023 shows the Beirut port in Beirut, Lebanon. The explosion that rocked the Beirut port on Aug. 4, 2020 killed more than 200 people and injured thousands of others. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)